Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2024 All Rights Reserved

40 years since the assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II

Photo: Library

Today marks the 40th anniversary of the attempted assassination of Pope John Paul II in St. Peter's Square in Rome. The Bulgarian Sergei Antonov, an employee of the BGA Balkan office in Rome, was accused of complicity in the attack on May 13, 1981. The news of the "Bulgarian trace" in the attempted assassination travelled around the world in a flash.

On March 29, 1986, an Italian court acquitted Antonov, and the assassin, Ali Agca, remained in prison for life. On April 1, 1986, after 1,222 days behind bars in an Italian prison, Antonov returned to Sofia in a severe physical and mental condition, diagnosed with cerebral atrophy caused by psychotropic drugs which, according to doctors, were forcibly administered to him in prison.
In May 2002, during his official visit to Bulgaria at a meeting with President Georgi Parvanov, Pope John Paul II stated: "I never believed in the so-called Bulgarian trace in the assassination attempt against me, it was an insinuation and a great injustice to the Bulgarian people.”. 
You can read more on this topic HERE.



Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Ivan Demerdzhiev: We understand how important it is for Delyan Peevski to have a new chief prosecutor

The members of the Supreme Judicial Council have neither the legal nor the moral right to choose the next chief prosecutor, given that their mandates have long since expired, former caretaker interior minister Ivan Demerdzhiev told BNR. On..

published on 9/8/24 4:24 PM

Peevski's and Dogan's coalitions did not submit the documents requested by Central Electoral Commission

The two wings of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms party, which intend to participate in the early parliamentary elections on October 27 in coalitions, did not comply with the instructions of the Central Election Commission (CEC) to submit documents..

updated on 9/8/24 4:17 PM

Defense Minister: Reinstatement of mandatory service could be on the agenda if vacancies in the army are not filled

For now, we do not envisage and do not propose to the Bulgarian parliament to return the conscription military service, Caretaker Minister of Defense Atanas Zapryanov told BNR. He expressed the hope that with the increase in the salaries of the military..

published on 9/8/24 4:15 PM