A drunken, barefoot Frenchman was reportedly seized by the authorities after he managed to ring a bell in the facade of St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican.

Reports said the man, believed to be homeless, entered St. Peter's by climbing up scaffolding around the Arch of the Bells, which is undergoing restoration and reconditioning.

Police say he was apprehended in a "state of confusion" and was handed over to the Italian officials after his initial arrest by Vatican guards.