Tourist Smashes Two Vatican Statues After Being Denied To See The Pope

Meeting the Pope for some might be a privilege, but it might feel like a right to others. 
 
One tourist, in particular, took things to the extreme after being denied the chance to meet the Pope. While perusing the Vatican Museums, they hurled a 2,000-year-old ancient marble Roman bust at the guards and knocked over another in their attempt to flee the scene. 
 
The event took place in the Museo Chiaramonti, a section of the Vatican Museums that houses over 1,000 statues. 
 
Elizabeth Lev, a Twitter user and art historian who provides tours of the Vatican, caught the event when it happened and posted it on her account.

Tragically, our first great post-pandemic tourist season has been marred by irresponsible tourists. A statue from the @Musei_Vaticani was smashed by a visitor yesterday.😱😭 pic.twitter.com/0Z2HwYgBOC

— Elizabeth Lev (@lizlevrome) October 5, 2022

The news was first reported by Il Messagero, who stated that the man, a middle-aged American tourist, was then apprehended by Vatican staff and taken to the police station for questioning. The Corriere Della Sera reported that the man had priors in the US for indecency. 
 
Fortunately, the marble busts sustained minimal damage. The faces are still mostly intact, with just a nose missing. Both have been transferred to the in-house marble restoration workshop, where the damage will be assessed closely and repaired before returning to their spot in the museum. 
 
There has been no word on what will happen to the tourist other than he is now under the custody of the Italian authorities. 
 
 
 
[via CNN and Catholic News Agency, Photo 158260142 © Alexey Stiop | Dreamstime.com]