Woman Knocks Pope Down During Christmas Eve Mass By MARGHERITA STANCATI Associated Press
In these images made from amateur video, an unidentified woman, right, jumps over the barricade towards Pope Benedict XVI as he walks down the main aisle to begin Christmas Eve Mass in St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City. Pope Benedict XVI delivered his annual Christmas Day address and blessing before a packed St. Peter's Square on Friday, hours after being knocked violently to the floor by a woman who lunged at him before Christmas Eve mass. A young woman vaulted the barriers in St. Peter's Basilica and threw herself at the pope as he walked down the main aisle before the start of Thursday evening's mass. The 82-year-old pontiff fell, headfirst, to the floor but quickly got up, and the Vatican said he wasn't hurt. The 87-year-old French Cardinal Roger Etchegaray, who was also walking down the aisle, fell and fractured his femur, however, and will be operated at a Rome hospital, Vatican spokesman Rev. Federico Lombardi said in a statement. Cardinal Etchegaray is one of the Holy See's most prominent prelates. The Vatican identified the woman as an unarmed 25-year-old Swiss-Italian with psychiatric problems, and said she had been taken to a clinic for treatment. The same woman had tried to reach the pope during Midnight Mass last year, a Vatican official added. The incident in St. Peter's Basilica comes weeks after Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi was attacked during a public rally in Milan. The attacker, a man with a history mental illness, threw a statuette of Milan's Duomo Cathedral at the Prime Minister, breaking his nose and two of his teeth. Mr. Berlusconi, who hasn't made a public appearance since, has linked the attack to a political "climate of hate." On Friday, the pope stuck to his Christmas schedule as planned. During his midday address delivered from the balcony of St. Peter's, the pope -- appearing tired -- decried the financial and moral crisis gripping the world. After his address, the pontiff wished Catholics around the world a Merry Christmas in 65 languages, including Ukranian, Turkish, Ethiopian, his native German and Latin. Then, standing at the balcony overlooking the cheering crowd in the square, he delivered his annual "Urbi et Orbi" (Latin for "To the City and To the World") blessing, granting forgiveness of sins to all spectators. On Friday, Italy's RAI state TV aired repeated images of the incident on Thursday night. The scenes show a woman, dressed in a red hooded sweat shirt, vaulting over the wooden barriers of St. Peter's Basilica and rushing toward the pope. As she was swarmed by bodyguards, she managed to grab the pope from the front, prompting him to lose his balance and fall to the floor. The pope subsequently celebrated the mass, according to schedule, making no reference to the incident. The pope's security unit includes Vatican Swiss guards, Vatican and Italian police. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB126174170767005235.html?mod=rss_Today%27s_Most_Popular
