By Isabella H. de Carvalho
Before the beginning of the General Audience on May 13, as Pope Leo XIV passed through the crowds in the popemobile, he stopped and knelt at the spot where, exactly on this day in 1981, his predecessor St John Paul II was the victim of an assassination attempt.
“Today we remember the memorial of Our Lady of Fatima. On this day, forty-five years ago, an attempt was made on Pope John Paul II’s life, and for these reasons, I dedicated my catechesis today to the Blessed Virgin Mary,” the Pope said during his greetings to the English-speakers.
The spot is marked by a white marble plaque embedded with St John Paul II’s coat of arms, placed among the cobblestones. After the assassination attempt, St John Paul II repeatedly expressed his conviction that his life had been preserved through the Virgin Mary’s intercession.
In this regard, in his greetings to the Portuguese pilgrims, Pope Leo called everyone to turn their gaze to the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima, where she “entrusted a message of peace to the three shepherd children.”
“In that place, so dear to Christianity, numerous pilgrims from all five continents gather today: their presence is a sign of the need for consolation, unity, and hope among the people of our time. Let us entrust to the Immaculate Heart of Mary the cry for peace and harmony rising from every part of the world, especially from peoples afflicted by war. My blessing to all!”
The attack on John Paul II
Pope John Paul II was greeting the faithful before the weekly General Audience from an open white jeep when shots were fired at close range on May 13, 1981. The Pope was seriously wounded and immediately transported to Rome’s Gemelli Hospital.
A statement released by the Holy See Press Office later confirmed that the Pope had been struck in the abdomen and was undergoing surgery at the Gemelli Hospital. The communiqué added that, although his condition was serious, there were “founded hopes for recovery.”
Four days later, during the Regina Caeli message from the hospital, John Paul II addressed the faithful and spoke publicly of forgiveness for Mehmet Ali Ağca, the man responsible for the attack.
He assured his prayers for the attacker and entrusted himself once more to the Virgin Mary with the words: “Totus tuus ego sum” (“I am entirely yours”). – Vatican News
