VATICAN CITY -- Whilst for some the first Monday back after the New Year meant a return to the grind of the office, one man saw the opportunity to parade nude in St. Peter's Basilica, before crowds of shocked tourists and worshippers.

After having entered the church and passed by the routine security checks in full dress, the man promptly stripped off, walking down the central aisle up to the front of the church in nothing but a pair of trainers and a rucksack. A photo of him nude inside the church circulated on Facebook.

 Upon arrest, the man was admitted to the psychiatric ward of the nearby Santo Spirito hospital for examination. Father Ciro Benedettini, the vice-director of the Holy See press office, believes that the man was homeless. He is reportedly an Italian citizen named Luis Carlos Cherubino.   ft