Pope John Paul I & II Official Photographs, Includes Image with Failed Assassin!

A group of 4 glossy colored photos depicting Pope John Paul I & II, Ca. 1978-1983, Vatican City. Bumped corners to some, otherwise very good condition. The lot includes:

1. Pope John Paul I, 8" x 11.75", Ca. 1978

2. Pope John Paul II with a young girl, possibly on pilgrimage to Ireland, 4" x 6", Ca. September 1979

3. Pope John Paul II crossing St. Peter's Square minutes before the assassination attempt, 8" x 11.5", May 13, 1981

4. Pope John Paul II forgiving attempted assassin Mehmet Ali Ağca, 8" x 12", December 27, 1983

Pope John Paul I (1912-1978), born Albino Luciani was head of the Catholic Church for a total of 33 days, making his reign among the shortest in papal history. He was later dubbed the "Smiling Pope", also referred to by some as the "September Pope". In September 2022, Pope Francis is set to preside over John Paul I's beatification, which is the first step of the process that constitutes canonization and sainthood.

Pope John Paul II (1920-2005), born Karol Józef Wojtyła was the first non-Italian pope since the 16th century, with his papal reign spanning from 1978 to his death in 2005. In 1981, three years into his papacy, John Paul II was critically shot while driving in front of St. Peter's Square by Mehmet Ali Ağca, a Turkish citizen and member of the far-right nationalist organization Grey Wolves. Later, in late December 1983, the pope would visit Ağca in prison where they spoke and he was ultimately forgiven. Although originally sentenced to life in prison, Ağca was released in 2010 after being deported back to Turkey around the year 2000.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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