Act of reparation at St Peter’s Basilica after desecration

On October 10, a man was arrested by security guards after he climbed onto the Altar of the Confession, located under Bernini’s baldachin, and urinated on it while tourists looked on in astonishment.

The penitential rite of reparation three days later was presided over by Cardinal Mauro Gambetti, archpriest of St Peter’s Basilica and vicar general of the Pope for Vatican City.

After a penitential procession that began at 12.45pm local time, Cardinal Gambetti sprinkled the altar with holy water and incensed it to purify it.

The rite, attended by members of the chapter of the Vatican basilica, emphasised asking God for “forgiveness” for the desecration, said Fr Enzo Fortunato, director of communications for St Peter’s Basilica.

Pope Leo XIV expressed his consternation upon learning of the incident and asked Cardinal Gambetti to perform an act of reparation to restore the sanctity of the place and ask forgiveness for what had happened.

This is the not the first instance of desecration in St Peter’s Basilica this year. In February, a man severely damaged part of the main altar, breaking several candelabras. In June 2023, an individual of Polish origin stripped naked in the same place, as a form of protest against the war in Ukraine.

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Act of Reparation in St Peter’s Basilica after altar desecration (By Almudena Martínez-Bordiú, Walter Sánchez Silva/CNA)