A video is circulating online showing the moment a Muslim takes a position and prays barefoot and kneeling, facing Mecca... inside St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican.
The moment was captured on a mobile phone camera and shows the man kneeling and bowing to the floor, in the characteristic way Muslims pray. He is wearing a pink shirt and does not seem bothered by the presence of hundreds of tourists and worshippers currently inside the temple.
The online comments are typical, with particularly strong reactions: "Would they let a Christian pray in Mecca?" asks one user, while another calls it an "image of shame." ©LAPSI.al
An Islamist man has entered St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican to pray towards Mecca.
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) August 11, 2026
It's worth noting that non-Muslims aren't even allowed into the city of Mecca, and certainly not anywhere near the Kaaba. pic.twitter.com/Fym1FJ502n
