Man Desecrates Sacred Altar at St. Peter’s Basilica

When I first saw the video on social media showing a man urinating on the main sacred altar at St. Peter’s Basilica at Vatican City on October 10, 2025, I was flabbergasted to say the least. The event took place during the 9:00 AM mass while hundreds of visitors watched in astonishment. The anonymous man has not been identified. Apparently during the celebration of mass, he walked towards the Altar of Confession, one of the holiest sites in the Catholic Church, pulled down his pants, and proceeded to urinate on the floor at the altar. This altar is where Pope Leo XIV celebrates mass.

As soon as the incident occurred, plainclothes police officers restrained and escorted the unidentified man out of the basilica. Police authorities have not confirmed whether the man has been charged with a crime or even arrested, but I am sure of one thing, he deeply offended the Most High God. His actions were rooted in the hatred of all things sacred and holy.

According to Canon Law, the act of urinating on a Christian altar is a grave sin. Because the site at the Vatican was desecrated, a penitential rite of restoration had to be performed days later to restore the holiness of the altar. Memories of this act still stick out in my mind even though this restorative process was conducted. It doesn’t erase what was done or the person’s intentions behind it. If people want to offend God, they will find a way to do so. It is one thing for a person to offend God out of ignorance, but it is another to do so with willful intent.

A Vatican spokesperson said that the person who committed the act of desecration had a mental disability. For me, what occurred at St. Peter’s Basilica speaks to a larger societal issue at hand. It highlights the perverse nature of humans in society today. I believe that to even think of desecrating a place that glorifies God is unconscionable. One’s mind must be so warped and out of sync with reality that to commit evil seems normal.

As a Catholic who visited the Vatican several years ago, I can tell you that visiting there moved me greatly, further strengthening my faith in God. I believe that this most recent incident proves that there is surely evil in the world. And if evil exists, then good must also. Those who attempt to shame God and all that is sacred only bear witness to the fact that He exists. If I know this, then other people do as well. Even in the mist of the greatest sin, the Most High God can still turn things around for good.

Ethically speaking,

Obiora N. Anekwe