14 DAY TRIAL // An impostor has tried to infiltrate a Cardinals' meeting at the Vatican, managing to bypass several checkpoints before being spotted by Swiss guards.
The man introduced himself as “Basilius,” a bishop of the Corpus Dei order, part of the Italian Orthodox Church. The order and the branch of the church turned out to be fabrications, and their “founder” is a German native by the name of Ralph Napierski.
Napierski was caught because his short cassock, the vestment traditionally donned by bishops, caught the eye of security officers.
According to International Business Times, guards were also tipped off by the fact that he wore sneakers, a magenta scarf that resembled the bishops' red sashes, and a Fedora hat instead of a skullcap.
Daily News adds that the chain on his crucifix was also shorter than that worn by other participants at the meeting.
Before being forced to leave, Napierski got to shake hands and pose for pictures with several high-ranking members of the church, including cardinal Sergio Sebastiana.
The fake bishop later told the press he was at the conference to discuss child abuse in the midst of the church. He accuses the Catholic institution of trying to cover up abuse incidents by transferring priests from one parish to another.
“Basilius” also has a website and a blog titled “Corpus Dei,” on which he speaks of himself as a legitimate bishop.
“Corpus Dei is a catholic Order. Corpus Dei was founded by the catholic Bishop Ralph Napierski. Bishop Ralph Napierski is a Catholic Bishop under the primacy of Pope Benedict XVI and he is in union with the Roman Catholic Church. […] Bishop Ralph is a slave and apostle like St. Paul,” he describes.
He is also listed on the separate “Jesus Yoga” blog, as someone who tries to make “available the hidden techniques of Christian meditation practices that already have been in use by Jesus.”