This archive report was first published on 25 October 2019.
On October 25, 2019, a group of individuals anonymously filmed themselves stealing and throwing five statues of a pregnant woman into the Tiber River in Rome.
The statues, which were on display near the Vatican, were later recovered undamaged.
Pope Francis apologized for the display of the statues, stating that they were not intended to be idolatrous.
Senior Vatican official Paolo Ruffini described the theft as an 'act of defiance' against the spirit of dialogue.
The incident occurred during a three-week synod focused on the Amazon region, where some bishops had criticized the display of indigenous objects during church ceremonies.
