Naked protest at St. Peter’s Basilica: A man strips naked and stands at the main altar at a war rally in Ukraine before he is taken away by Vatican guards
- The tourist took off his clothes and stood naked on the main altar
- The protester appeared to have ‘Save Children in Ukraine’ scrawled on his back.
Visitors to St. Peter’s Basilica were in for an unexpected surprise on Thursday when a naked man jumped onto the main altar of the Vatican church.
The tourist took off his clothes and stood naked at the main altar in the center of the church to protest the war in Ukraine.
The naked protester, who was not identified, appeared to have the words “Save the children in Ukraine” scrawled on his back in black marker.
He was wearing nothing more than his socks and shoes while other visitors were horrified by his naked state under the canopy of Saint Peter, where the saint is entombed below.
Others took photos of the surprise moment in the 16th-century church, reported Silere Non Possum, which some Italian media called a blasphemous act.
The protester was wearing nothing but his socks and shoes as other visitors were horrified by his naked state under the Baldachin of St. Peter’s on Thursday, Silere Non Possum reported.
In addition to having an inscription painted on his back calling for the children of Ukraine to be saved, the man was also reported to have self-inflicted cuts on his body with his fingernails.
The Vatican gendarmerie rushed to handle the man, forcing him to put on his clothes and come down from the consecrated altar.
The officials then handed the protester over to the Italian police, who took him away for questioning.
The episode happened just before the basilica closed to visitors on Thursday afternoon.
The main altar is located below the Baldachin of San Pedro, a large sculpted bronze Baroque canopy, in the center of the church below the dome.
It marks the site of Saint Peter’s tomb below and was installed in the 17th century.
She was wearing nothing but her socks and shoes as other visitors were aghast at her nude state in St. Peter’s Basilica, the Vatican (file image)
The tourist took off his clothes and stood completely naked on the main altar of St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican (File photo dated April 6, 2023)
This is not the first time a visitor to Vatican City has cleaned their gear.
In 2016, the Vatican gendarmerie detained a nurse after stripping naked and entering the building in front of shocked parishioners.
Brazilian Luis Carlos Giampaoli reportedly entered the church fully clothed, hid in a corner to undress before coming out clad only in shoes and a backpack.
He paced up and down the main nave of the basilica, shouting ecclesiastical litanies and gesturing to the onlookers.
Giampaoli was later taken to a psychiatric ward at the Santo Spirito hospital in Rome.
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