Today the Vatican Press office released this statement about the Pope's fall before Mass on Christmas Eve:
"Yesterday evening during the entrance procession of the celebration of Mass, an unbalanced person, Susanna Maiolo, 25, who has Italian and Swiss citizenship, went over the barrier and despite the intervention of security people was able to reach the Holy Father and grab his pallium, causing him to lose his balance, slip and fall. The Pope was able to quickly get up and resume walking, and the entire celebration was carried out without any other problem.Unfortunately, in the confusion that was created Cardinal Etchegaray fell and fractured his hip. He was taken to the Gemelli Polyclinic, and his condition is good, but he will have to undergo an operation in coming days.
Maiolo, who was not armed but who manifested signs of psychic imbalance, was taken to a health care facility for obligatory treatment.
As for the Holy Father, today’s program is confirmed without any modifications."
Here is a link to a brief video of exactly what happened when the Pope fell. It has been posted with an interesting commentary by Catholic News Service and shows the Swiss woman jumping over the barricade, and the Pope falling in the general confusion as the woman ran toward him (go to the link below and click on the video, which will load after a moment):
http://cnsblog.wordpress.com/2009/12/25/pope-fine-after-christmas-eve-knock-down/
Here is a link, via an American paper, to a comprehensive Associated Press story by Nicole Winfield on the attack last night and its possible implications for the Pope's physical security:
What bothers me is that this was not the first time this witch had jumped a barricade to access the Pope. She evidently did it in the not too distant past too.
If she’s that much of a mental midget, and serious security threat, she needs to be kept in custody this time.