A rite of reparation was celebrated at the central altar of St. Peter's Basilica on October 13, 2025, shortly after midday, a Vatican basilica official told I.MEDIA. The ceremony followed after a serious desecration perpetrated at the altar on October 10.
Late Friday afternoon, a video broadcast by several media outlets showed a man undressing at the Altar of Confession, the high altar of St. Peter's Basilica, located under Bernini's baldachin in the heart of the building. The man urinates, or attempts to, before he is stopped by security personnel.
The Church stipulates that when a church is desecrated by seriously offensive acts, the damage is to be be repaired by a penitential rite celebrated by the local bishop. In the case of St. Peter's Basilica, this celebration is entrusted to its archpriest, currently Cardinal Mauro Gambetti, who acts as the pope's vicar.
A basilica official confirmed to I.MEDIA that the latter would indeed preside over a penitential rite at the Altar of Confession on October 13 at 12:45 p.m.
2 recent precedents
This is not the first time that St. Peter's Basilica has been targeted by acts of desecration in recent years. On June 1, 2023, a half-naked man with the words "Save the children of Ukraine" written on his chest evaded security before climbing onto the altar. Two days later, a penitential rite was celebrated to repair the outrage.
On February 7 of this year, a man managed to reach the altar, where he violently removed the altar cloth and threw six candlesticks to the ground, damaging them. No rite of reparation was announced by the Holy See at that time.
