From Il Tempo:
A shocking act occurred yesterday morning in St. Peter’s Basilica: a man managed to climb onto the Altar of Confession and urinated under the astonished gaze of hundreds of tourists. It happened yesterday, Friday, October 10, around 9:30 a.m. The young man managed to bypass the turnstiles that completely surround the altar beneath Bernini’s magnificent baldachin and, after quickly climbing the steps, reached the altar where, without restraint, he dropped his pants and desecrated the table by urinating on it. The man was promptly reached by plainclothes police officers present in the Basilica, but the damage and outrage had already been done. This is not the first time something like this has happened: just last February, a man of Romanian origin also managed to climb onto the altar of St. Peter’s and, in an act of vandalism, caused several candelabras placed there for a liturgical celebration to fall to the ground. According to Il Tempo, Pope Leo XIV was also informed of yesterday’s events, and was shocked to learn of the news. It’s possible that, after this deplorable event, the pontiff will seek clarity on the efficiency of the security service inside St. Peter’s Basilica.