Shock: man sets himself on fire in St. Peter’s Square

CNS has the story: 

A 51-year-old man was severely injured after he set himself on fire in St. Peter’s Square.

The unidentified man doused himself with gasoline he had carried in a bottle and then lit himself aflame at the end of the colonnade near Piazza Pio XII at 8:30 in the morning Dec. 19.

A Jesuit priest on his way to work at the Vatican was the first passer-by to come to the man’s aid, according to a written statement from Italian police that was then distributed by the Vatican press hall.

The priest tried to smother the flames with his cloak and jacket. Two Italian police agents on duty at the square went to the scene and used a blanket and fire extinguisher to put out the fire.

The man was hospitalized with severe burns on his upper body and the two agents were treated and released for “respiratory problems and burns to the hands,” the statement said.

The statement said a piece of paper was found nearby that had the phone number of the man’s daughter. It added that the motive for the man’s actions was unknown.

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And remember this man in your prayers…