A German court has ordered a man suffering from bipolar disorder to seek treatment after he jumped a security barrier and grabbed Pope Benedict's popemobile in St Peter's Square last year.
The International Herald Tribune reports the Waldshut-Tiengen state court in southwestern Germany ordered the man to undergo treatment, but stopped short of sending him to a psychiatric hospital.
The unidentified 28 year old was swiftly tackled and pinned to the ground by security guards trailing the popemobile in the Vatican on June 6 last year.
On Monday, the court put the man, who suffers from a bipolar disorder, on four years' probation.
To avoid the man from being sent to a psychiatric hospital during that period, the court ruled that he must begin psychotherapeutic treatment and continue with medication he is already taking, undergoing regular check-ups.
He also was banned "categorically" from consuming alcohol and drugs and was ordered to undergo regular urine tests, the court said in a statement late Monday.
It said the man's health has "stabilised significantly" over the year since the incident, and that the conditions attached to Monday's verdict should encourage a further improvement.
The German born pontiff was not harmed in last year's incident and appeared not to have even noticed.
SOURCE
Court orders treatment over pope incident (International Herald Tribune, 5/8/08)
