45 Years Since the Assassination Attempt on Pope John Paul II

45 Years Since the Assassination Attempt on Pope John Paul II

To mark the occasion, the chalice gifted to the Shrine by the Supreme Pontiff was used during the Mass on this May 13th.

On May 13th, we commemorate two significant events: the 109th anniversary of the first apparition of Our Lady in Cova da Iria and the 45th anniversary of the assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II, which occurred in St. Peter's Square in Rome on May 13, 1981.

During the press conference before the International Anniversary Pilgrimage in May, the rector of the Shrine of Fatima recalled this event, which the Pope later interpreted in light of the Fatima occurrences.

"45 years ago, we realized more clearly that, as the message of Fatima reminds us, the power of prayer is stronger than the power of bullets. To look at that bullet is to look at the tragedies of human history, to which the Church is no stranger, most notably through the figures of the Popes, as Leo XIV has also demonstrated," said Father Carlos Cabecinhas during the press conference preceding the pilgrimage, as he recalled the three occasions Pope John Paul II visited Cova da Iria and the symbolic gift made by the Supreme Pontiff to Fatima.

The bullet from the assassination attempt was gifted by Pope John Paul II to the Shrine of Fatima, which embedded it into the Precious Crown of the Statue of Our Lady of the Rosary of Fatima, worn this May 13th.

“Pope John Paul II, who journeyed as a pilgrim to Cova da Iria three times, felt there would be no better place to safeguard the bullet from the assassination attempt than the Shrine of Fatima. He gifted the projectile, which, as is widely known, is embedded in the precious crown of the Statue of Our Lady".

To mark the 45th anniversary of the assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II, the chalice that Pope John Paul II gifted to the Shrine of Fatima, which is usually on display at the Shrine's Museum, was used during the International Anniversary Mass this May 13th.

A quarter of a century after John Paul II's final visit to Cova da Iria, the significance of his connection to Fatima remains alive through numerous material symbols. Most notable among these are a statue at the top of the Prayer Grounds; the blood-stained cassock he was wearing on the day of the assassination attempt on May 13, 1981, which can be seen in the permanent exhibition at the Museum of the Shrine of Fatima; the bullet that pierced him on that tragic day is now the most precious gem in the crown of the Statue of Our Lady of the Rosary of Fatima.

Pope John Paul II passed away in Rome on April 2, 2005, concluding a pontificate of more than 26 years. He was beatified on May 1, 2011, and canonized on April 27, 2014.