A man wearing phony ecclesiastical robes and posing as a cardinal was escorted out of the College of Cardinals meeting yesterday.

The Daily Mail is reporting that Ralph Napierski of Germany, who told reporters his name was “Basilius”, said he was a member of the non-existent “Italian Orthodox Church”. Claiming to be a child abuse protester, he made it as far as the square outside Paul VI Audience Hall before he was apprehended by Swiss Guard and taken away.”Alert Swiss Guards rumbled him because his vestments were wrong and because they noticed his purple sash was really a scarf,” the Mail reports. “And he was also wearing an odd looking fedora hat, while the other giveaway was the shortness of his black cassock and the crucifix around his neck was on a short chain.”

Napierski has a website on which he claims to be bishop in an alleged Catholic organization known as Corpus Dei. The site shows him dressed robes and calling himse “a slave and apostle like St. Paul.”

He has also uploaded several videos on You Tube in which he describes the benefits of the “ancient hidden spiritual practice of Jesus Yoga.”

Officials at the Vatican brushed off the incident.

“I’m not aware of this at all,” said Vatican spokesman Fr. Federico Lombardi. “I was inside the hall and all those inside were real cardinals.”

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