Skip to content

Judge orders psychiatric treatment for man who forcibly entered Vatican

A view of Vatican City State

A Vatican magistrate has sentenced the unidentified man who forcibly entered Vatican City on Thursday night to mandatory psychiatric treatment, according to the Holy See press office.

The man was taken into Vatican custody on the night of May 18 after driving a car at high speed through a gate at the Vatican, bypassing the checkpoints of both the Swiss Guard and Gendarmes.

After being questioned in the presence of his lawyer on Friday afternoon, the man “was taken to the psychiatric ward of Santo Spirito in Sassia Hospital for mandatory medical treatment,” the Holy See press office said in a brief statement May 19.

The incident leading to the man’s arrest happened after 8 p.m. on May 18 at one of the main entrances to Vatican City by car.

The entrance at Sant’Anna Gate is located north of St. Peter’s Square and next to the Swiss Guard barracks. The press office said the man, estimated to be in his 40s, initially approached the gate in his vehicle and was turned away because he lacked the proper authorization to enter.

After leaving, he turned his car around and drove at high speed, forcing his way through the gates manned by the Swiss Guard and the Gendarmes, according to a statement issued Thursday night by the press office.

A gendarme stationed at the Sant’Anna entrance fired his weapon in the direction of the vehicle’s front tires, hitting the left front fender, the statement said, but the vehicle proceeded onto Vatican territory until the driver got out of his car at the San Damaso Courtyard, the central courtyard of the Apostolic Palace, where he was placed under arrest.

He was checked out by doctors from the Vatican’s health and hygiene office and found to be in “a serious state of psychophysical alteration,” the press office said.

The man was held overnight in a Vatican prison cell.

 

This article was originally published on Catholic News Agency.

Receive the most important news from EWTN Vatican via WhatsApp. It has become increasingly difficult to see Catholic news on social media. Subscribe to our free channel today

Share

Would you like to receive the latest updates on the Pope and the Vatican

Receive articles and updates from our EWTN Newsletter.

I agree that EWTN will keep me informed about news, faith stories and how to best support their work. You will never receive e-mails from us that you do not want to receive. You can unsubscribe any time. For more information on how to unsubscribe, our privacy practices, and how we are committed to protecting and respecting your privacy, please review our Privacy Policy.

More news related to this article

The Sistine Chapel: Renaissance gem dazzles clergy and laypeople alike

The Sistine Chapel has witnessed every papal election since 1492 with only five exceptions, and it is preparing to once again host the conclave.
Reflect in prayer each evening. (photo: Unsplash)

The Quiet Potential of the Daily ‘Examen’

COMMENTARY: The three-to-five-minute exercise can be life-changing. There is something both liberating and disorienting about summer. The school

Turkey: The Birthplace of Christian Doctrine – Tracing the First Seven Ecumenical Councils

Turkey gets 50M visitors yearly, yet few recall its Christian past. Just 0.2% are baptized, but traces remain—four key Ecumenical Councils were held in Istanbul, once Constantinople.

Pope Leo XIV prays at tomb of St. Francis of Assisi

Pope Leo XIV traveled to Assisi on Thursday to meet with Italian bishops and pay homage to St.

Preacher of the Papal Household: ‘Fraternity is where true conversion takes place’

In a sermon to the pope and the Roman Curia, Preacher of the Papal Household Father Roberto Pasolini

Oceania, Africa delegates say Synod on Synodality is their turn to speak

Synod on Synodality delegates from Africa and Oceania said this week their communities are already living out synodality

LIVE
FROM THE VATICAN

Be present live on EWTNVatican.com