Man strips naked at the Vatican’s St. Peter’s Basilica to reveal ‘Save the children of Ukraine’ message
St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City (Photo:Vatican Media/Handout via REUTERS)
A man who climbed naked onto the main altar of St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican is required to leave Italy, Italian publication Corriere della Sera reported on June 2.
The 34-year-old man is a "Russian citizen with a Polish passport who suffers from severe depression and mental disorders." He came to Italy with the intention of making a "bold gesture" against Russia's full-scale war on Ukraine.
The man entered the cathedral on the evening of June 1, when there were few visitors. He approached the main altar, undressed, and climbed up. On his back, there was an English-language message in marker that read, "Save the children of Ukraine."
The man was immediately apprehended, handed over to the Italian police, and ordered to leave Italy.
At least 484 children have died since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, while over 19,000 have been forcibly abducted to Russia.
As a result of the Russian attack on Kyiv on the night of June 1, a 9-year-old girl and her mother were killed.
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