Rome: The Holy See reported that a car being driven by a person with apparent mental health issues sped past Swiss Guards and through a Vatican gate on Thursday evening before being stopped by police.
The Vatican press office said in a statement late Thursday that after the speeding car rushed the gate, Vatican gendarmes fired a shot at the vehicle's front tyres, but it was able to continue travelling.
The driver exited the vehicle when it arrived at the Apostolic Palace's San Damaso Courtyard and was immediately taken into custody by Vatican gendarmes. The Vatican claimed that the driver, who was around 40 years old, was in a "serious state of psychophysical alteration." He was being detained in a Vatican prison.
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The incident, which happened after 8 p.m. at the Santa Anna gate, one of the main entrances to the Vatican City State in the centre of Rome, was unclear whether Pope Francis was anywhere near it.
Francis would typically be having dinner and retiring to his room at that time at the Santa Marta hotel, which is located on the opposite side of Vatican City. According to the Vatican statement, the main gate barring access to the piazza in front of Francis' hotel was closed as soon as the gendarmes raised the alarm of an incursion.
A lot of the city state is off limits to the general public, especially at night, so the incident was a rare intrusion.
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While visitors are permitted to enter St. Peter's Basilica, the Vatican Museums, and the Vatican pharmacy during business hours, access to other structures in the enclave requires authorization.
Swiss Guards and gendarmes who staff various checkpoints guard the Apostolic Palace, which houses the papal apartments, important reception rooms, the Vatican archives, and offices, around-the-clock.
It's not the first time that a disturbance at the Vatican has been brought on by a person with apparent psychiatric issues. In 2009, a woman attempted to attack Pope Benedict XVI by scaling the St. Peter's Basilica security fence during a Christmas Eve Mass. He was unharmed, but the commotion caused the hip of a cardinal who was marching in the procession to break