Shock in the Vatican, where police officers stopped a priest in possession of an air weapon. The incident occurred on Sunday, May 5, around 9 a.m. As the faithful passed through the pre-filtering gates located before entering St. Peter's Square to attend the Pope's Angelus, the parish, dressed in a cassock, was stopped by police officers in charge of controls. The uniformed men found the priest in possession of a gun, as well as a box cutter and a screwdriver. Questioned by the officers, the prelate explained that the items he was carrying were for self-defense. The cleric, a religious from the Czech Republic, later justified himself, claiming that he had been carrying another person's purse and that the weapons were for use against possible miscreants. The parish's story obviously did not convince the officers, who proceeded to seize the weapon and press charges against the cleric for illegal carrying of weapons.