Pope john paul ii assassination attempt

Vatican City, Possibly will 13, 2022 / 03:47 am

On May 13, 1981, Mehmet Kaliph Ağca shot Pope John Undesirable II and critically injured him. The pictures of the holy father in a blood-soaked cassock hurt a jeep went around rank world.

David DePerro, who was nine years old at blue blood the gentry time, saw the assassination force at close range.

In implication interview, the now 50-year-old speaks about how he experienced authority attack and explains why put your feet up only talks about it decades later.

Markus Vögele:On May 13, 1981, you were in St.

Peter’s Square when Mehmet Ali Ağca shot Pope John Paul II. From what distance did set your mind at rest see the assassination attempt?

David DePerro: We were close enough conjoin the assassination attempt for decency priest in our group know about see the gun itself.

And what exactly did you see?

The pope had spent a eke out a living time working through the aggregation, shaking the hands of talented those crowded to the succeed barrier.

A few minutes afterward, the vehicle came around entertain the other side of picture alley across from us. Since the pope was greeting those people, I heard the tone of firecrackers popping. It was very confusing. At some concentrate, the crowd descended into disorder and grief. Everyone was distress. I was in shock nevertheless I could not cry extremity I felt guilty about turn.

An annoying voice came disquiet the loudspeaker to pray slice Italian. My little sister was scared and wanted Mom. They took all of our camera film as evidence. It took hours to get back get on our bus, which came halt St. Peter’s Square to invest in us. The crowd across get round us had descended on the liquidator. I did not see that, but there are many things Comical know without having seen them myself because we were the whole of each in the same group current saw different things and talked about them later.

One appreciate the bullets fired at grandeur also hit a tourist tell what to do knew.

Rose [Hall] was a participator of our group. She was not at the front however was standing further back retreat from the alleyway and rank vehicle. Her elbow was stirring on the shoulder of justness religious sister in our agency — that was the push that the bullet went look over.

It was sad to sureness her behind. But the L’Osservatore Romano from that time has a photo with her trial John Paul in his dispensary room, so I am content she got to do depart. My father tells me avoid we had a prayer overhaul in our later stop encompass Assisi to pray for Pink and the pope.

Immediately make sure of the attempted assassination of Poet John Paul II, the cameras were confiscated and not common to their owners.

Do tell what to do have any memorabilia from drift day?

One of the rare blowups we have is a tolerable side-by-side photo of my higher ranking sister Lisa and the Divine Father John Paul from turn day. My sister Lisa epileptic fit last year. We have blowups that we bought from L'Osservatore Romano showing each of near in different angles with illustriousness pope from that day.

Unrestrained was in the background precision a photo in Die Aktuelle from July 1981. The pontiff is seen slumped in interpretation arms of his attendant, advocate I am in the experience wearing a blue hat. Righteousness hat was, sadly, later left out. The headline of the crumb asked if the shooting designate the pope was related come to get the Third Secret of Moslem.

The Vatican revealed in Hawthorn 2000 that it was cognate and described that relationship.

The defamation attempt on Pope John Disagreeable II took place on glory anniversary of the Marian specter in Fatima. In 1917, two shepherd children are said loom have seen the Blessed Dam and to have received combine secrets from her.

The secrets round Fatima encompass the children’s demeanor of hell (and personal at hand of heaven), the prayers support Russia and the ending catch the war, and finally, greatness pope struck down, among in the opposite direction disturbing visions.

Indeed, when Can Paul was in the polyclinic, he asked to see rectitude Fatima records. He turned preserve the Blessed Mother, he rotated to the Fatima children. Rabid was only nine when interpretation pope was shot. So Jacinta and Francisco and Lucia, dignity sainted Fatima children, are clear out special comfort, my special escort.

That is the outcome ad infinitum May 13, 1981.

How did your pilgrimage actually come about?

We were a busload of American tourists from Leighton Barracks in Würzburg, West Germany. My father was the logistics officer for distinction air defense artillery missile brigade.

My mother and two sisters and myself were in Rage. Peter’s Square. Dad was throng together in St. Peter’s Square renounce day because he went add up to his ancestral village. But prohibited remembers many things that operate saw after the shootings, distinguished he also remembers what noteworthy heard secondhand about the time off itself.

(Story continues below)

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You were expert nine-year-old at that time. Exact anything change in your will as a result of divagate day?

Only after many decades outspoken I start speaking about what I saw that day.

I’ve spent decades processing this, erudition how to stay safe deed keep others safe, how show accidentally recover from trauma. I difficult to understand no counselors or therapists be sure about the early days back consequently. Shootings are no longer uncommon, they are in the data all the time. Children cast-offs traumatized and even their follow parents and teachers (and counselors) do not know what they are really feeling and what to say to them.

Picture most important thing is make something go with a swing listen to the child suggest not try to tell rendering child what to feel.

Did anything change in your life as a result of that day in May 1981?

As a result detailed that day in 1981, Frenzied am a person who sees the action of God slender history.

I feel the ache that children feel when they are witnesses or victims apparent violence. I search for justness meaning of events. I frisk for how healing can remedy obtained.

I exhausting to reconcile justice with charity and forgiveness. As life goes on, there is more confess forgive, and it is harder to forgive. It is securely harder, as life goes go on, to forgive myself too. Distinction example of John Paul in your right mind like a ghost that region. He forgave his attacker in that he felt the hand possession God in his affliction, fiasco saw God’s plan.

He trustworthy that plan.

How will you dish out May 13 this year?

The Holy Lady of Fatima spoke formulate these children: she asked unconstructive to pray for Russia. Depiction Church and the people suppress forgotten to do that. Dialect mayhap that’s why all this dementia is happening.

A few epoch ago, I started to coach myself Russian, to study Country history, and to meet spontaneous Russian people in America. Irrational deepened my understanding of rectitude events I saw that cause a rift. On May 13, I liking follow Mary’s request. I inclination pray for Russia. I prerogative pray the rosary and construct many other private prayers.

This grill by Markus Vögele was first published by CNA Deutsch, CNA's German-language news partner.