Woman knocks down Pope at

[Lillylu29]

VATICAN CITY (AP) — A woman jumped the barriers in St. Peter's Basilica and knocked down Pope Benedict XVI at the start of Christmas Eve Mass, but the 82-year-old pontiff got up unhurt and proceeded as planned with Thursday's service.

Witness video obtained by The Associated Press showed a woman dressed in a red hooded sweat shirt vaulting over the wooden barriers that cordoned off the basilica's main aisle and rushing toward the pope before being swarmed by bodyguards.

The video showed the woman grabbing the pope's vestments as she was taken down by guards, with Benedict then falling on top of her.

The commotion occurred as the pope's procession was making its way toward the main altar and shocked gasps rang out among the thousands who packed the basilica. The procession came to a halt, the music stopped and security rushed to the trouble spot.

A Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Ciro Benedettini said the woman appeared to be mentally unstable and had been taken into custody by Vatican police. He said she also knocked down Cardinal Roger Etchegaray, who was taken to hospital for a checkup.

"During the procession an unstable person jumped a barrier and knocked down the Holy Father," Benedettini told The AP by telephone. "(The pope) quickly got up and continued the procession."

It was the second year in a row that there had been a security breach at the Christmas Eve service and this was the most serious incident involving the public in Benedict's five-year papacy. At the end of last year's Mass, a woman who had jumped the barriers got close to the pope but was quickly blocked on the ground by security.

That woman too wore a red hooded sweat shirt, but Benedettini said it was not immediately known if the same person was behind Thursday's incident.

MaryBeth Burns from Paris, Texas, was about four people away from the woman who jumped the barriers and was filming the pope's procession as the commotion started.

"All of a sudden this person sort of flew over the barricade and the Holy Father went down and all the security people were on top of it, a whole pile there, getting her off and him back up," said Burns, who was visiting Italy with her family on a religious pilgrimage for Christmas.

they should of hired Gimp for security.....

[torn asunder]

i saw the video on the news, she was right up front, just hopped the sawhorse & ran right at him. he couldn't have been more than 20 ft away. wtf is up with his (lack of) security!? i mean, what if that person had a gun or even a knife?

[TheGimp]

hired me for security LOL...man thats a whole lotta nuts to feel >.<

[Lillylu29]

hired me for security LOL...man thats a whole lotta nuts to feel >.<

I snarfed my drink on that one... thanks LOL

[pomba gira]

hired me for security LOL...man thats a whole lotta nuts to feel >.<

Gimp, professional nut-feeler!

[aequorea]

My brother got a text saying the pope had been publicly mauled. I have to admit I was disappointed when I found out he was only knocked down.

[Simon Bar Sinister]

i saw the video on the news, she was right up front, just hopped the sawhorse & ran right at him. he couldn't have been more than 20 ft away. wtf is up with his (lack of) security!? i mean, what if that person had a gun or even a knife?

the Vatican tries to ride the line between accessibility and security. usually, it works.

My brother got a text saying the pope had been publicly mauled. I have to admit I was disappointed when I found out he was only knocked down.

I figured Pope Palpatine could've just used the Force to stop her in mid-air. Must've not wanted to blow his cover.