A woman jumped the barriers in St. Peter’s Basilica and knocked down Pope Benedict XVI as he walked down the main aisle to begin Christmas Eve Mass on Thursday.
The 82-year-old Pope quickly got up and was unhurt, according to the Rev. Ciro Benedettini, a Vatican spokesman.
He said the woman also knocked down Cardinal Roger Etchegaray, who was taken to hospital for a checkup.
Footage aired on Italy’s RAI state TV showed a woman dressed in a red sweater vaulting over the wooden barriers and rushing the Pope before being swarmed by bodyguards.
The incident occurred as the Pope’s procession was making its way toward the main altar and shocked gasps rang out through the crowd that packed the basilica. The procession came to a halt and security rushed to the trouble spot.
“During the procession an unstable person jumped a barrier and knocked down the Holy Father,” Benedettini told The Associated Press by telephone. ” The Pope quickly got up and continued the procession.”
Mary Beth Burns, a Texan visiting Italy with her family on a religious pilgrimage for Christmas, was filming the procession when the commotion began.
Burns said the security guards immediately pulled the woman to the ground and the Pope tumbled with them.
Benedict lost his miter and his staff in the fall. He remained on the ground for a few seconds before being helped back up by attendants. At that point a few shouts of “viva il papa!” (long live the pope!) rang out, followed by cheers from the faithful.
After the incident, Benedict, flanked by tense bodyguards, resumed his walk to the main altar. He did appear somewhat shaken and leaned heavily on aides and an armrest as he sat down in his chair.
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