Vandal destroys altar in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican

Man climbs onto the high altar in St. Peter’s Basilica. Photo: regnum

On February 7, 2025, a 40-year-old Romanian citizen committed an act of vandalism, damaging the furnishings of the main altar in the Catholic Basilica of Saint Peter the Apostle in the Vatican, reports aa.com.tr.

The man climbed onto the altar beneath the bronze baldachin created by Gian Lorenzo Bernini and pushed six antique candelabra to the floor. The candelabra, dated 1865, are estimated to be worth a total of about €30,000.

The basilica’s security guards quickly apprehended the perpetrator and handed him over to the Vatican gendarmerie. His motives remain unknown.

Earlier, it was reported that the Pope held a secret meeting with an LGBT organization.

Read also

Serbian Patriarch offers condolences over murder of Sviatohirsk Lavra monk

The head of the Serbian Orthodox Church called Sviatohirsk Lavra a refuge for the displaced and urged that the monk’s violent death not be turned into anyone’s weapon.

“Never seen before”: Israel reports record number of Hasidim in Uman

According to an Israeli police representative, 52,000 pilgrims are currently in Uman – 10,000 more than last year. The city itself has a population of about 75,000.

UOC faithful hold prayer vigil outside Lavra for more than 1,000 days

For three and a half years, Orthodox Christians have continued praying for peace and for the preservation of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra.

Zelensky congratulates Jews on Rosh Hashanah

Volodymyr Zelensky wished Jews peace and the triumph of good over evil.

Kyiv Theological Academy publishes book on Orthodoxy in 17th-century Ukraine

With the blessing of the UOC Primate, the Kyiv Theological Academy and Seminary has published a textbook marking the 430th anniversary of the birth of St. Petro Mohyla.

45,000 Hasidic pilgrims arrive in Uman

Around 45,000 Hasidic pilgrims have already arrived in Ukraine for Rosh Hashanah.