Fact Check: Viral Claim that a Muslim man vandalized St. Peter’s Basilica is misleading

A video circulating online shows a man desecrating a church, sparking controversy as users share misleading claims. The footage captures the man breaching barriers restricting access to the central altar at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. He proceeded to destroy six candlesticks and pulled off the altar cloth before security intervened, leaving onlookers stunned.

Amid preparations for the Vatican’s 2025 Jubilee Year, when millions of visitors are expected, social media users have claimed that the individual in the video is a Muslim man who broke into the basilica and destroyed six chandeliers. The same video has been shared multiple times with similar claims, which can be viewed here, here and here.

Fact Check

Upon investigation, we found the claim to be false. We thoroughly reviewed multiple media reports in English, Spanish, and Italian, and none mentioned that the man in the video was Muslim.

According to ANSA, an Italian media outlet that first reported the incident, the man entered St. Peter’s Basilica and knocked over six 19th-century candelabras worth approximately 30,000 euros from the central Altar of the Confession. He was stopped by the Vatican Gendarmerie, identified as a Romanian citizen, and later reported by the Vatican Inspectorate.

A CNN report cited a Vatican spokesperson stating that the individual involved had a “serious mental disability” and was detained by Vatican police before being handed over to Italian authorities.

Further verification from EWTN Vatican, Catholic News Agency, and the Spanish outlet ABC Sociedad confirmed that the perpetrator was a 40-year-old Romanian man. While his motives remain unclear, reports suggest he may have acted out of protest or a moment of instability. In the afternoon, he was charged with criminal mischief and later released, with the possibility of being banned from residing in Rome.

None of the reports indicated that the man was Muslim, disproving the viral claim.

Conclusion

The fact-check confirms that the viral claim is misleading. The man in the video has been identified as being of Romanian origin, and an investigation is underway to determine his motive. None of the reports mentioned that he was Muslim.