This Week in Christian History: Luis Palau Born, Pope Attacked, Thanksgiving
Pope Paul VI Attacked – November 27, 1970
This week marks the anniversary of when an anti-religious artist attempted to stab Pope Paul VI to death while the head of the Catholic Church was in the Philippines.
Benjamin Mendoza y Amor Flores, a 35-year-old Bolivian artist and self-avowed enemy of superstition, disguised himself as a priest and attacked the pope soon after he had met with then President Ferdinand Marcos.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
While original reports said that Paul VI was unharmed by the attempted attack, it was later revealed that the pope was stabbed on the neck and chest, though both were minor wounds.
“The Pope immediately gestured to them not make a fuss about the incident. During the Mass that was celebrated afterward the liturgical vestments covered the Pope’s minor injuries,” explained historian Ulrich Nersinger in a 2014 interview with Catholic World Report.
“After the celebration of the Eucharist, the papal physician who was traveling with them attended to the two wounds and gave his patient a tetanus shot. Again the Holy Father gave a sign to those present not to make public what had happened.”
