Cardinal Etchegaray, 87, fractured his hip and will be operated on at Gemelli hospital in Rome, Father Lombardi said Friday, according to The Associated Press.

Image Pope Benedict XVI arriving to offer Mass at St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican on Thursday night. The pope began the observance two hours earlier than on any Christmas Eve in recent memory. Credit... Max Rossi/Reuters

Father Lombardi identified the woman as Susanna Maiolo, 25, a Swiss-Italian national with psychiatric problems, The Associated Press reported. He said Ms. Maiolo, who was not armed, was taken to a clinic for necessary treatment. She was the same woman involved in a similar incident at last year’s Midnight Mass, Vatican officials said.

The incident in St. Peter’s was the second high-profile security breach in Italy this month.

Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi spent several days in the hospital after a man with mental problems struck him in the face with a statuette of the Milan cathedral, breaking his nose and two teeth, at a campaign rally in Milan.

During Christmas Eve Mass, the pope appeared tired at times but celebrated the ritual without further incident.

For the first time in recent memory, however, Christmas Eve Mass began at 10 p.m. instead of midnight, in what Father Lombardi said was an effort to help Benedict preserve his strength for his intense schedule over the Christmas season.