In a ruling on Monday, a Vatican criminal court ordered two Italian climate change activists to pay nearly 30,000 euros ($32,000) in damages and costs after they glued themselves to the base

of one of the Vatican Museums' renowned statues. Guido Viero and Laura Zorzini, members of the Ultima Generazione (Last Generation) group, staged the protest against the Laocoon statue in August. The sculpture portrays a priest from Troy who warned his fellow citizens about the Greeks' wooden horse.

The Tribunal of the Vatican City State, which consists of lay judges rather than religious authorities, mandated Viero and Zorzini to jointly pay 28,148 euros as compensation to the Vatican authorities, along with 1,000 euros in legal costs, as indicated by the court ruling. Additionally, both activists received suspended jail sentences of nine months, along with fines of approximately 1,500 euros each, also suspended. Another activist was issued a suspended penalty of 120 euros.

Ultima Generazione released a statement on Tuesday expressing their intention to appeal, arguing that the punishment was "disproportionate and unjust" for merely applying "a few drops of glue" on a marble plinth added to the Laocoon statue in the 19th century. They accused the Vatican of hypocrisy and claimed that their aim was to draw attention to the words and teachings of Pope Francis, who has recently emphasized the urgent need for a "rapid and equitable transition to end the era of fossil fuel."

The activist group has staged numerous high-profile protests in Italy, often targeting artworks and monuments. In a recent incident, they poured diluted charcoal into Rome's iconic Trevi Fountain, causing the water to turn black. Photo by LivioAndronico (2014), black background by User:Notwist., Wikimedia commons.