Woman Knocks Pope Down During Christmas Eve Mass

Pope Benedict XVI delivered his annual Christmas Day address and blessing before a packed St. Peter's Square on Friday, hours after being knocked violently to the floor by a woman who lunged at him before Christmas Eve mass.

A woman vaulted the barriers in St. Peter's Basilica and threw herself at the pope as he walked down the main aisle before Midnight Mass. The 82-year-old pope fell, headfirst, to the floor but quickly got up, and the Vatican said he wasn't hurt.

The 87-year-old French Cardinal Roger Etchegaray, who was also walking down the aisle, fell and fractured his hip, however, and will be operated at a Rome hospital, Vatican spokesman Rev. Federico Lombardi said in a statement.

The Vatican identified the pope's aggressor as a 25-year-old Swiss Italian woman with psychiatric problems, and said she was taken to a clinic for treatment. The same woman had tried to reach the pope during Midnight Mass last year, a Vatican official added.

After his address, during which he referred to a financial and moral crisis gripping the world, the pope wished Catholics around the world a Merry Christmas in a slew of languages, including Ukranian, Macedonian, Turkish, Ethiopian, Bengali, his native German and Latin. Then, standing in his balcony overlooking the square, he delivered his annual "urbi et orbi" ("to the city and to the world") blessing.

Footage aired on Italy's RAI state TV showed a woman dressed in a red, hooded sweat shirt vaulting over the wooden barriers and rushing toward the pope before being swarmed by bodyguards.

Video shot by a witness showed the woman grabbing the pope's vestments as she was taken down, with Pope Benedict seemingly falling on top of her.

The commotion occurred as the pope's procession was making its way toward the main altar and shocked gasps rang out through the public that packed the basilica. The procession came to a halt and security rushed to the trouble spot.

Pope Benedict lost his miter and his staff in the fall. He remained on the ground for a few seconds before being helped back up by attendants. At that point a few shouts of "viva il papa!" (long live the pope!) rang out, followed by cheers from the faithful, witnesses said.

After getting up, Pope Benedict, flanked by tense bodyguards, resumed his walk to the basilica's main altar to start the Mass. He did appear somewhat shaken and leaned heavily on aides and an armrest as he sat down in his chair.

—The Associated Press contributed to this article.