| Juan María Fernández y Krohn | |
|---|---|
| Born | c. 1948 Spain |
| Nationality |  Spain |
| Occupation | lawyer |
| Known for | attack on Pope John Paul II |
Juan María Fernández y Krohn (born ca. 1948, Spain) is a former Catholic priest and former Belgian lawyer who tried to physically attack Pope John Paul II in 1982.[1]
Early life
He was ordained a priest in the Society of Saint Pius X seminary in Écône, Switzerland in 1978.[2] He was retroactively terminated from membership in the Society after his assassination attempt on the Pope and because he openly proclaimed that Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre's opposition to Pope John Paul II was too weak.[2][3]
Assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II
On 12 May 1982, he assaulted Pope John Paul II with a bayonet in Fátima, Portugal. It is unclear whether he managed to wound the Pope or not.[4][5][6] During his trial, he said that he was opposed to the reforms of Vatican II and that he believed Pope John Paul II had been in league with the Soviet Union and even was a secret Communist agent trying to corrupt the Vatican.[citation needed]
He received a six-year sentence though he served only three years[7] and then was expelled from Portugal, after which he moved to Belgium. By then, he had abandoned the priesthood.[citation needed]
After 2000, he has lived in Belgium and Spain, and is reported to be an expert in art and literature of the Spanish post–Civil War period (1939–1990).[8]
External links
His blog (Spanish): http://blogs.periodistadigital.com/juanfernandezkrohn.php
References
- ^ Pope John Paul "wounded" in 1982, BBC News
- ^ a b Cekada, Anthony (19 October 2008). "Juan Fernandez Krohn, "Papal Assassin" and SSPX". Retrieved 03/01/2009.
- ^ Pope John Paul II and the Church by Peter Hebblethwaite, p. 95
- ^ Juan María Fernández y Krohn denies accusations El Mundo (spanish)
- ^ CBC report on Fernández y Krohn
- ^ John Paul "wounded" in 1982 Reuters news release.
- ^ Daily Telegraph report on Fernández y Krohn
- ^ Archive on Fernández y Krohn recent activities (French language)