45 Years Later, Attempted Assassination of St. John Paul II Recalled as Turning Point in History
Pope Leo XIV prayed at the plaque marking the site of John Paul II’s shooting, as Catholics marked 45 years since the attack.
- Before starting his general audience on Wednesday, Pope Leo XIV knelt at a white marble plaque in St. Peter's Square marking the spot where St. John Paul II was shot 45 years ago.
- Turkish gunman Mehmet Ali Agca fired shots at St. John Paul II at close range in St. Peter's Square on May 13, 1981, striking the pontiff during his weekly General Audience.
- Convinced that the Virgin Mary had spared his life, St. John Paul II traveled to Fatima in 1982 to thank the Blessed Mother, placing the bullet removed from his body in the shrine's statue crown.
- Two years after the assassination attempt, on December 27, 1983, the pontiff visited Agca at Rome's Rebibbia Prison and publicly forgave him, later requesting an official pardon from Italy.
- Historian Pawel Skibinski noted that Soviet authorities viewed the Polish pope as a destabilizing force; within 10 years of his encounter with crowds, the Berlin Wall collapsed and the Soviet Union eventually dissolved.
27 Articles
27 Articles
Vatican City, May 13 (EFE).- Pope Leo XIV prayed this Wednesday, before beginning the general audience, in the place of St. Peter's Square where on May 13, 1981 there was the attack on John Paul II. "Today we remember the memory of the Virgin of Fatima. On this day 45 years ago he took a stand against the life of Pope John Paul II and for this reason I dedicated my catechesis today to the Virgin Mary", explained the American pope. Before the hea…
45 Years Later, Attempted Assassination of St. John Paul II Recalled as Turning Point in History
by Katarzyna Szalajko WARSAW, Poland (OSV News) – Before he started his general audience, Pope Leo XIV stepped out of his popemobile on May 13 and walked over to pray beside a plaque marking the spot where history took a turn that shocked the world 45 years before. St. John Paul II was shot precisely there on May 13, 1981 – a day of the assassination attempt and one when Our Lady saved the pope’s life. “Today we remember the memorial of Our Lady…
Our Sunday Visitor
45 years on, attempted assassination of St. John Paul II recalled as turning point in history
WARSAW, Poland (OSV News) -- Before he started his general audience, Pope Leo XIV stepped out of his popemobile on May 13 and walked over to pray beside a plaque marking the spot where history took a turn that shocked the world 45 years before. St. John Paul II was shot precisely there on May 13,
At the May 13 general audience, Pope Leo XIV recalled the attack on St. John Paul II 45 years ago in St. Peter's Square, ...
On May 13, 1981, 45 years ago in the memory of Our Lady of Fatima, John Paul II was struck by two bullets. Today Prevost remembered him before the audience in St. Peter's Square kneeling at the point where he was buried. The catechesis dedicated to Mary, "perfect model" for the Church. To entrust her "the cry of peace" of the "people afflicted by war."
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 75% of the sources lean Right
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
