A man climbed onto the central altar at St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City on Friday and urinated in full view of tourists. The act was captured on video by onlookers and quickly drew the attention of plainclothes police and Vatican security.

The desecration occurred at the Altar of the Confession, directly above the tomb of St. Peter, during visiting hours when the basilica was crowded with international tourists. The man pulled down his trousers before urinating on the altar under what Italian media described as “the stunned gaze” of hundreds.

Security officers detained him and escorted him out of the church, according to reports.

Footage of the act spread quickly across social media platforms, prompting widespread reaction and calls for accountability.

Reports in the Italian press said Pope Leo XIV was informed of the incident and expressed shock upon hearing the news, according to Catholic News Agency.

The Altar of the Confession is used by the pope to celebrate mass and is regarded as one of the most sacred places within Catholicism. The act marked the third such desecration involving the same altar in recent memory.

In February, another individual climbed onto the altar and threw six ceremonial candelabras to the ground, damaging items used during papal services. Authorities did not release further details about the person responsible or the consequences, but the event prompted concerns about a rise in vandalism on Vatican grounds.

Vatican spokesperson Matteo Bruni confirmed the detention in a statement to the Italian news agency ANSA, saying, “This is an episode of a person with a serious mental disability who has been detained by the Vatican Police and then placed at the disposal of the Italian authorities.” According to the report, the man is a Romanian citizen. No further information about the man’s identity or nationality was provided.

A more widely reported episode occurred in June 2023, when a Polish man staged a protest by stripping near the same altar just before the basilica’s closing time. He had the words “Save children of Ukraine” written in marker on his back and did not resist arrest.

Under Canon 1211 of the Code of Canon Law, any grave acts committed in a sacred place that cause scandal to the faithful are considered violations of the sanctity of the site. In such cases, public worship must be suspended until a penitential rite has been performed. The rites, which may take the form of a Mass or a Liturgy of the Word, are guided by instructions in the Ceremonial of Bishops and are meant to occur as soon as possible after the desecration.