A special cleansing ceremony took place today at the main altar of St. Peter’s Basilica after it was “desecrated” by a man who stood naked inside the church in protest against war in Ukraine.

The service, as required by canon law, was performed by the archpriest of the basilica, Cardinal Mauro Gabetti.

On Thursday, when the church closed, the Pole took off his clothes and stood at the altar. The slogan “Save the children of Ukraine” was written on his back.

The Vatican guards handed him over to the Italian police. After his arrest, a decision was made to deport him from Italy.

During the ceremony, the altar used by Pope Francis was sprinkled with holy water. Gabetti stated that the Pole committed a sinful and “inappropriate, truly sad act” to draw attention to the victims of the war.

A Vatican source said on Thursday that the man had self-inflicted injuries with his body nails. His identity has not been released, but photos posted on social media suggest he is in his 30s.

^{Source: APE-MEB, Reuters}