American tourist smashes 2,000-year-old statues in the Vatican after being told he couldn’t see Pope Francis

Disgruntled tourist smashes two 2,000-year-old statues in the Vatican.

 

An American tourist toppled two ancient Roman sculptures in the Vatican Museums on Wednesday, after his request to meet Pope Francis was denied.

 

According to reports, the 65-year-old US citizen, who was born in Egypt, hurled himself into a bust when he was told he couldn’t see Pope Francis, and ran into another one when he tried to flee from museum security.

 

The incident took place in the Museo Chiaramonti, part of the Vatican Museums, around lunchtime.

 

“The busts were affixed to shelves with a nail but if you pull them down with force they will come off,” Director of the Press Office for Vatican Museums Matteo Alessandrini told CNN.

 

“He pulled down one and then the other and the guards came immediately and stopped him and consigned him to the Vatican police who brought him in for questioning.”

 

Pictures taken by visitors and posted on social media showed the two broken busts lying on the marble floor.

 

No one knows what the tourist wanted to talk to the Pope about, but various outlets have questioned his mental health.

 

Local media outlets reported it will take about 15,000 euros and about 300 hours of work to restore the damaged sculptures.

 

Technicians are now working to reassemble the damaged sculptures, which had been swiftly taken to the museum’s restoration lab after the incident.

 

Tourists damaging Roman monuments has been a theme of this summer. In July, a Canadian tourist was caught carving her name into the Colosseum, while American tourists were caught hurling scooters down the Spanish Steps, breaking off pieces in the process.