Vatican firefighters try to rescue cat stuck on colonnade surrounding St. Peter’s Square
A cat is stranded in the colonnade surrounding St. Peter’s Square. / Hannah Brockhaus/CNA.
Vatican City, Feb 15, 2022 / 06:17 am (CNA).
Vatican firefighters were attempting on Tuesday to rescue a cat stuck on top of the colonnade surrounding St. Peter’s Square.
Several times during the late morning on Feb. 15 the firemen ascended to the top of the portico on their fire truck ladder in an attempt to grab the orange cat from the corner where it was perching.
Just outside the colonnade of St. Peter's -- Vatican firefighters initiate a rescue operation for a stuck cat. pic.twitter.com/yAs7ewzHO0
— Hannah Brockhaus (@HannahBrockhaus) February 15, 2022
Several attempts were unsuccessful, as the furry creature narrowly skittered past the firefighter’s arms and around the edge of the architectural masterpiece designed by 17th-century sculptor Gian Lorenzo Bernini.
It is not currently known who the cat belongs to or how it was able to ascend the colonnade, which consists of 284 columns, around 50 feet tall, arranged in rows of four.
A crowd has gathered outside the Vatican to watch the cat rescue operation in action pic.twitter.com/4Wl66AGdbx
— Hannah Brockhaus (@HannahBrockhaus) February 15, 2022
The Vatican is home to a famous cat lover: Pope emeritus Benedict XVI. When he worked in the Roman Curia before his election as pope, he would reportedly prepare plates of food for stray cats. It was said that if friendly cats near his Vatican offices were hurt, he would bandage their wounds.
More to follow.