Fake Bishop at Vatican Meets With 100 Cardinals, Removed by Swiss Guard
A man from Australia is grabbing worldwide attention after he put on a fake bishop's costume and was able to gain entry into the Vatican, where he attended a meeting with 100 other cardinals.
The man, Ralph Napierski, reportedly wore a short cassock, a cross necklace, a purple scarf that was used as a sash and donned a black fedora, according to Italy's Gazzetta del Sud.
Before he entered the Vatican he was rumored to have told reporters that his name was "Basilius" and that he was a member of the "Corpus Dei."
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Before his real identity was found out, he reportedly told visitors that the Church had made a mistake by reassigning priests accused of pedophilia to other parishes, according to AFP.
He was eventually removed from the premises by the Swiss Guard and there has been no word whether or not he will face criminal charges.
Soon after Napierski's real identity was found out it was stated that he writes for two blogs. One is called Corpus Dei, which is described as "Catholic Order after episcopal law" and the other is called Jesus Yoga.
"Bishop Ralph Napierski is a Catholic bishop under the primacy of Pope Benedict XVI, and he is in union with the Roman Catholic Church," according to the blog. "Bishop Ralph is a slave and apostle like St. Paul."
He also writes for Jesus Yoga, where Napierski is said to enlighten his followers about "hidden techniques of Christian meditation."
"Meditation in the presence and aura of relics is very powerful and effective since relics radiate a special energy," according to a blog post found on the website.
The Cardinals arrived at the Vatican on Monday for the first time after Pope Benedict XVI resigned and will gather for a series of meetings where they will discuss the most important issues facing the Church- the most important of these is the selection of a new pope.
