The Vatican press spokesman said he "knew nothing" about the evidence.
Matteo Bruni, the director of the Holy See Press Office, responds to evidence that contradicts his previous explanation. He now claims that he was "not aware of any relevant correspondence".
On 26 October, Bruni maintained that Catholics should have submitted a specific request if they wanted to pray or adore the Blessed Sacrament in St Peter's basilica.
However, the organisers had done precisely that. A letter dated 8 September explicitly requested permission for prayer and Eucharistic adoration inside the basilica. The Secretariat of State rejected the request on 30 September.
When confronted with the published correspondence, Bruni replied to the Substack.com account 'The Pillar' on 29 October that he was "not aware of any relevant correspondence".
The Vatican Press Office is known for its rather complicated relationship with the truth.
Picture: Matteo Bruni © Lorenzo Iorfino, wikipedia, CC BY-SA, #newsXmlblmhxaf