The man was quickly apprehended by security guards and police after jumping over the metal barriers separating the vehicle from the crowd of 35,000 and landing behind the vehicle. All through the event the Pope seemed oblivious to the matter and continued with the event as normal.
The man was later questioned by Vatican police before being taken to a psychiatric department for assessment.
Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi told BBC the man was "mentally unstable", carrying on to say, "His aim was not an attempt on the Pope's life, but to attract attention to himself." He said the man was questioned by Vatican police and taken to the psychiatric ward of a nearby hospital.
In 1981, Pope Benedict's predecessor, John Paul II was shot and seriously injured as he drove through the same square by Turkish gunman Ali Agca.
This page is archived, and is no longer publicly editable.
Articles presented on Wikinews reflect the specific time at which they were written and published, and do not attempt to encompass events or knowledge which occur or become known after their publication.
Please note that due to our archival policy, we will not alter or update the content of articles that are archived, but will only accept requests to make grammatical and formatting corrections.
Note that some listed sources or external links may no longer be available online due to age.
This page is archived, and is no longer publicly editable.
Articles presented on Wikinews reflect the specific time at which they were written and published, and do not attempt to encompass events or knowledge which occur or become known after their publication.
Please note that due to our archival policy, we will not alter or update the content of articles that are archived, but will only accept requests to make grammatical and formatting corrections.
Note that some listed sources or external links may no longer be available online due to age.