St. Peter's 2023
In June, 2023, a Polish man approached the high altar of St. Peter's at the Vatican, undressed, and jumped up onto the altar.
A close-up shot. On his back is written his protest message "Save children in Ukraine."
I could only find censored frontal views of him.
The Vatican police apprehended him and handed him over to the Italian police, who issued an expulsion order requiring him to leave Italy.
Catholics condemned this incident as sacrilege. The Vatican considered it a desecration of the high altar, and Cardinal Gambetti conducted a purification rite for the altar.
All I can say is, really? Having a naked man on the altar desecrates it? The Vatican is full of statues and paintings of naked men. Above, this Vatican statue of the boxer Creugas isn't even an ancient statue. It was made c. 1800.
And of course, the most famous Vatican naked artwork: Michelangelo's painting in the Sistine Chapel of God creating Adam.
So paintings and sculptures of naked males are fine, but an actual naked male is a sacrilege? Let me propose a toast to Vatican hypocrisy (above).
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