US tourist smashes 2 ancient Vatican sculptures after being denied Pope visit
An American tourist has been arrested for destroying two ancient Roman sculptures after learning he could not see Pope Francis in the Vatican.
The 50-year-old went wild as he toured the Vatican Museums on Wednesday afternoon October 5.
After learning he could not meet the pope, the man allegedly threw himself into one of the museum’s ancient sculptures in the Chiaramonti room, knocking the sculpture off its pedestal, local newspaper Il Messaggero reported.
Museum security tried to grab him but as he tried to flee, he knocked over another sculpture.
Staff managed to hold the man down until Vatican police arrived minutes later to arrest him.
“The busts were fixed on shelves with a nail but if you pull them with force they will come off,” Vatican Museums spokesman Matteo Alessandrini told CNN.
“One lost part of a nose and an ear, the other’s head came off the pedestal,” Alessandrini said.
The broken pieces have already been transported to the museums restoration laboratory for repair.
