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Born c. 1948 Spain Known for attack on Pope John Paul II | ||
Juan María Fernández Krohn (born c. 1948) is a former Catholic priest and Spanish lawyer who tried to assassinate pope John Paul II in 1982.
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Early life
He was ordained a priest in the Society of Saint Pius X seminary in Écône, Switzerland in 1978. 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 Modernism was too weak.
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. 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. The attack occurred on the eve of the first anniversary of the 1981 Assassination attempt of Pope John Paul II, in which the Pope was shot and critically wounded.
He received a six-year sentence, though he served only three years, and then was expelled from Portugal, after which he moved to Belgium. By then, he had abandoned the priesthood.
After 2000, he has lived in Belgium and Spain, and is reported to be an expert in art and literature of the post-Spanish Civil War period from 1939–1990.
Attempt to Approach King Juan Carlos
In July 2000, Juan Carlos I of Spain was the target of Krohn, an enraged protester, who breached security and attempted to approach the king.