13/05/81: Assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II

On Wednesday 13 May 1981 an attempt to assassinate Pope John Paul II was made in St Peter's Square in Vatican City.

The Pope was shot and wounded by Mehmet Ali Ağca while he was entering the square at around 5.17 pm. The Pope was struck four times, and suffered severe blood loss. Ağca was apprehended immediately, and later sentenced to life in prison by an Italian court.

The Pope later forgave Ağca for the assassination attempt. He was pardoned by Italian president Carlo Azeglio Ciampi at the Pope's request and was deported to Turkey in June 2000.

22/2/81: Sunday Times magazine

Selected contents:

ATOMIC BOMB SURVIVORS - As Pope John Paul prepares for his pilgrimage to Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Murray Sayle visits the atom-bombed cities to see how each has come to terms with its horrific experience

(9½ pages)

BOBBY ROBSON - How Bobby Robson has survived twelve years as the manager of Ipswich Town

(3½ pages)

PIETRO ANNIGONI - Italy's most famous living artist, favourite of heads of state from Queen Elizabeth to President Kennedy, has, at 70, renounced worldly portraiture to spend much of his time at the Monte Cassino monastery near Naples painting - in return for his keep - an enormous fresco. John Pearson interviewed him near the end of his monumental task

(5 pages)

SHIRLEY CRABTREE (BIG DADDY) - "A life in the day of..."

source (pic. & text): crazyaboutmagazines.com 

21/1/81: Pope John Paul II in the Philippines

Between 17 and 21 February 1981 Pope John Paul II made his first official visit to the Philippines. Born in Poland in 1920 Karol Józef Wojtyła was the first non-Italian pope since 1523 and became the most-travelled pope up to then, making a total of 104 foreign trips including two to the Philippines. 

This photograph shows the Pope travelling among the crowds in a customised Filipino jeepney, one of the many variations of the "Popemobile", the term used to describe an open-top vehicle to drive the pontificate through crowds, and which would be made famous by John Paul II.

source: Jeepney Popemobiles