SHOCK IN VATICAN CITY AS MAN SETS HIMSELF ABLAZE

A 51 Years old man has been severely injured after setting himself on fire in St Peter’s Square at the Vatican City, church officials have revealed. The 51-year-old man poured petrol over his body before setting himself on fire. This happened on Thursday morning and he was taken to hospital with severe burns on his upper body, the Vatican revealed in a statement


According to the BBC, the motives for the man’s actions remained unknown. Officials said a Jesuit priest walking across the square had tried to smother the flames with his cloak. He was then joined by two police officers who managed to put out the blaze with a blanket and fire extinguisher.

The officers were taken to hospital and treated for “respiratory problems and burns to the hands”, the Vatican said. The authorities found a piece of paper with the phone number of the man’s daughter near the scene of the incident.

This is not the first case of self-immolation inside Vatican City. In 1998, Alfredo Ormando died after setting himself on fire in protest at the church’s condemnation of homosexuality.