Pope recalls 40th anniversary of attack on Saint Pope John Paul II

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Greeting Polish pilgrims at the General Audience on Wednesday, Pope Francis recalled the 40th anniversary on Thursday of the assassination attempt on Pope Saint John Paul II.

“He was certain that he owed his life to Our Lady of Fatima,” he said, noting that “that this makes us aware that our lives and the history of the world are in God’s hands.”

Pope John Paul II was shot and seriously wounded as he passed through St Peter’s Square in an open car during the General Audience on Wednesday, 13 May 1981, on the liturgical feast of Our Lady of Fatima.

“Let’s entrust the Church, ourselves and the whole world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Let’s pray for peace, for the end of the pandemic, for a spirit of penitence and for our conversion,” the Pope said.

And recalling Thursday’s feast day dedicated to Our Lady of Fatima, he said: “Let us place ourselves with trust under Her maternal protection, especially when we find ourselves in difficulty during our prayer life.”

File picture dated 13 May 1981 shows Pope John Paul II collapsing after being shot at by young Turk Mehmet Ali Agca while circling St. Peter’s Square before his General Audience. The Pope, who was sixty at the time of the attack, was hit by three bullets; one went through his abdomen, another hit his left hand and the third his right arm. EPA PHOTO ANSA STR

After his catechesis, Pope Francis also encouraged the faithful to engage in the recitation of the Holy Rosary during this month of May to invoke the end of the pandemic and the possibility to start social and work activities again, inviting believers to be “guided by Shrines across the world.”

Photo: (FILE) A file picture dated 13 May 1981 shows Pope John Paul II collapsing after being shot at by young Turk Mehmet Ali Agca while circling St. Peter’s Square before his General Audience. EPA/ANSA