Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Pope John Paul II


We visited St. Peter's the other day and heard a really neat story.

On 13 May 1981, Pope John Paul II was in his "Pope Mobile" riding through the piazza. May 13th is the feast day of Our Lady of Fatima and he was holding a picture of Mary in his hands. As Pope John Paul II leaned over to look at the picture, Mehmet Ali Agca shot the Pope several times, hitting him four times. The Pope was critically injured.
According to the story we heard from a priest in the piazza, immediately after the assassination attempt, a small nun tackled the much larger Agca, and together with other bystanders, restrained him until the police arrived. The Pope was rushed into the Vatican complex, and then to the hospital. He underwent several hours of surgery, but survived. The doctors reported that the bullets missed major arteries by mere millimeters. The path the bullets took swerved.
Once Pope John Paul II recovered, he returned to the Vatican and credited his survival to the help from Mary. He noted that of all the hundreds of saints that are represented in the Piazza San Pietro, Mary is not there anywhere. Thanks to Pope John Paul II, Mary is now represented on one of the buildings in the Vatican complex that faces the piazza.
There is a marble marker that marks the spot where the assassination attempt took place. Notice the roman numerals that represent the date: XIII V MCMLXXXI = 13 May 1981 The seal of Pope John Paul II is also on the marker.
Neat story, huh?
-Terri

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