WATCH: Man urinates on Altar of Confession at St Peter’s Basilica during mass in front of crowd

Tasleem Gierdien

Tasleem Gierdien

14 October 2025 | 9:59

Reports say Pope Leo XIV was ‘shocked’ upon hearing about the incident.

WATCH: Man urinates on Altar of Confession at St Peter’s Basilica during mass in front of crowd

This photograph shows a view of St. Peter's Basilica as Pope Leo XIV leads the Jubilee mass of Marian Spirituality at St. Peter's square in the Vatican on 12 October 2025. Picture: Alberto PIZZOLI/AFP

On Friday, 10 October, a man urinated on the Altar of Confession of St. Peter’s Basilica in front of hundreds of tourists and some of the congregation during Holy Mass at the Vatican City.

A video of the moment shows the unidentified man at the top of the Altar in a spot where the sitting pope typically performs mass. He dropped his pants to his ankles and urinated.

Moments later, plain-clothed police officers in the Basilica escorted him out of the church.

The Holy See Press Office has not released a statement about the incident yet.

Watch the moment below:

To listen to Barbara Friedman in conversation with Clarence Ford about this story on CapeTalk's Views and News, use the audio player below:

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