Juan María Fernández y Krohn (born ) is a convicted Spanish

Traditionalist Catholic Traditionalist Catholicism is the set of beliefs, practices, customs, traditions, liturgical forms, devotions, and presentations of Catholic teaching that existed in the Catholic Church before the liberal reforms of the Second Vatican Council ( ...

priest, journalist, and lawyer, who tried to assassinate

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

in 1982.

Early life

Fernández y Krohn was born in

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the Largest cities of the Europ ...

, the son of a middle-class

Andalusia Andalusia (, ; es, Andalucía ) is the southernmost autonomous community in Peninsular Spain. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomous community in the country. It is officially recognised as a "historical nationality". The t ...

n family with distant

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe * Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including ...

ancestors. He successfully studied at the Escuelas Pías in Madrid's Argüelles district. At age 17, he began studying

economics Economics () is the social science that studies the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and interactions of economic agents and how economies work. Microeconomics analyzes ...

at the

Complutense University of Madrid The Complutense University of Madrid ( es, Universidad Complutense de Madrid; UCM, links=no, ''Universidad de Madrid'', ''Universidad Central de Madrid''; la, Universitas Complutensis Matritensis, links=no) is a public research university loc ...

. At the beginning of his studies he joined the syndicalist and

Falangist Falangism ( es, falangismo) was the political ideology of two political parties in Spain that were known as the Falange, namely first the Falange Española de las Juntas de Ofensiva Nacional Sindicalista (FE de las JONS) and afterwards the Fal ...

fraternity

Frente de Estudiantes Sindicalistas The Frente de Estudiantes Sindicalistas (FES) (English: Front of Syndicalist Students) was a Spanish student group belonging to the Falangist minority opposition to the Francoist regime. Founded in 1963 in Madrid, the FES was led by Jorge Perales ...

(FES) and acted as an activist on the progressive wing of the group. He graduated with very good results. After turning away from his former political activities, he increasingly took on anti-communist and

integralist In politics, integralism, integrationism or integrism (french: intégrisme) is an interpretation of Catholic social teaching that argues for an authoritarian and anti- pluralist Catholic state, wherever the preponderance of Catholics withi ...

positions and visited various places of

Marian apparition A Marian apparition is a reported supernatural appearance by Mary, the mother of Jesus, or a series of related such appearances during a period of time. In the Catholic Church, in order for a reported appearance to be classified as a Marian a ...

Priestly activity

In 1975 Krohn came to Écône in the Swiss canton of Valais to contact the Priestly Fraternity of St. Pius X. In Argentina and later Brazil, he continued to come in contact with integralist communities. In 1978, Fernández y Krohn was ordained to the priesthood by the Traditionalist archbishop and founder of the FSSPX

Marcel Lefebvre Marcel François Marie Joseph Lefebvre (; 29 November 1905 – 25 March 1991) was a French Catholic archbishop who greatly influenced modern traditional Catholicism. In 1970, he founded the Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX), a community to tra ...

. As a pastor, Fernández y Krohn looked after two congregations of the FSSPX near Paris and in Rouen. The FSSPX was founded in 1970 to adhere to the rites and disciplines of the Roman Catholic Church from before the

Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the , or , was the 21st ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. The council met in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for four periods (or sessions), each lasting between 8 and ...

(1962-1965). In 1979, Fernández y Krohn was expelled for having shown "signs of mental instability" and criticizing Archbishop Lefebvre for allegedly too weak opposition to the pope. According to the Brotherhood, Fernández y Krohn separated from Lefebvre in 1980 and joined a

Sedevacantist Sedevacantism ( la, Sedevacantismus) is a doctrinal position within traditionalist Catholicism, which holds that the present occupier of the Holy See is not a valid pope due to the pope's espousal of one or more heresies and that therefore, fo ...

group. In July 1981, he traveled to Poland, trying unsuccessfully to conduct an interview with

Lech Wałęsa Lech Wałęsa (; ; born 29 September 1943) is a Polish statesman, dissident, and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, who served as the President of Poland between 1990 and 1995. After winning the 1990 election, Wałęsa became the first democrati ...

, the founder of the anti-Communist Solidarity

trade union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ...

Assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II

On 12 May 1982, Fernández y Krohn assaulted Pope John Paul II with a bayonet in

Fátima, Portugal Fátima () is a city in the municipality of Ourém and district of Santarém in the Central Region of Portugal, with 71.29 km2 of area and 13,212 inhabitants (2021). The homonymous civil parish encompasses several villages and localities o ...

, on the occasion of the Pope's

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, aft ...

to thank for his life being spared one year earlier at

St. Peter's Square Saint Peter's Square ( la, Forum Sancti Petri, it, Piazza San Pietro ,) is a large plaza located directly in front of St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City, the papal enclave inside Rome, directly west of the neighborhood ( rione) of Borgo. B ...

in the attack by the assassin

Mehmet Ali Ağca Mehmet Ali Ağca (; born 9 January 1958) is a Turkish assassin who murdered left-wing journalist Abdi İpekçi on 1 February 1979, and later shot and wounded Pope John Paul II on 13 May 1981, after escaping from a Turkish prison. After serving ...

. Fernández y Krohn arose from the crowd in a cassock, approached the pope from behind, and called out "Down with the Pope, down with the Second Vatican Council". He then stabbed John Paul II with the bayonet of a Mauser rifle. An aide of the pope stated that he did wound him, as there was blood on the floor when they returned to the Vatican. John Paul II survived the attack, and blessed the failed assassin. Fernández y Krohn was arrested by security without resistance.

Prosecution

Juan María Fernández y Krohn had to answer for the murder attempt both under

canon law Canon law (from grc, κανών, , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its members. It is th ...

and under Portuguese criminal law. Fernández y Krohn was convicted of attempted murder, and sentenced to six and a half years imprisonment. He received a further seven months in prison for contempt of court. During his trial, he said that he was opposed to the reforms of

Vatican II The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the , or , was the 21st ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. The council met in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for four periods (or sessions), each lasting between 8 and ...

and that he believed Pope John Paul II had been in league with the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

and even was a secret Communist agent trying to infiltrate the Vatican. He said he had not hurt the pope. After spending three years in a Lisbon prison, Fernández y Krohn was released in 1985, and deported. As a member of the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

, the perpetrator, according to Canons 1331 and 1370 § 1 of the Church code, incurred the Church penalty of

excommunication Excommunication is an institutional act of religious censure used to end or at least regulate the communion of a member of a congregation with other members of the religious institution who are in normal communion with each other. The purpose ...

. In the case of the use of force against the

pope The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...

, the penalty comes into effect directly, without trial. Due to the excommunication, Fernández y Krohn lost the right to receive or confer the sacraments until he could be reconciled in

confession A confession is a statement – made by a person or by a group of persons – acknowledging some personal fact that the person (or the group) would ostensibly prefer to keep hidden. The term presumes that the speaker is providing information th ...

Other criminal activities

In 1996, Fernández y Krohn was charged with arson in the

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

branch of the separatist

Basque Basque may refer to: * Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France * Basque language, their language Places * Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France * Basque Country (autonomous co ...

party A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will often featur ...

Herri Batasuna Herri Batasuna (; en, Popular Unity; HB) was a far-left Basque nationalist coalition in Spain. It was founded in 1978 and defined itself as abertzale, left-wing, socialist, and supported the independence of the Greater Basque Country. It was r ...

; he was found not guilty of all charges. In July 2000, during a visit of

Juan Carlos I of Spain Juan Carlos I (;, * ca, Joan Carles I, * gl, Xoán Carlos I, Juan Carlos Alfonso Víctor María de Borbón y Borbón-Dos Sicilias, born 5 January 1938) is a member of the Spanish royal family who reigned as King of Spain from 22 Novem ...

to King

Albert II of Belgium , house = Belgium , father = Leopold III of Belgium , mother = Astrid of Sweden , birth_date = , birth_place = Stuyvenberg Castle, Laeken, Brussels, Belgium , death_date = , death_place = , signature = Albert II of Belgium Signat ...

, Fernández y Krohn, as an enraged protester, breached security and attempted to approach the kings.Cardyn, Hans.
Belager' koning Albert komt er goedkoop vanaf
(in Dutch). ''Gazet Van Antwerpen''. Archived from the original on 17 March 2008. Retrieved 29 December 2007. Krohn was charged and convicted for disturbing the peace, and was sentenced to four months imprisonment. The subsequent psychiatric study determined that there was no danger and Krohn was released.

Personal life

After his expulsion from Portugal, Fernández y Krohn went to

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

, where he abandoned the priesthood, married a Portuguese journalist, worked as a lawyer, and became a blogger. There he came to additional notoriety where "he gained a bad reputation when he smacked a judge and handed out anti-semitic literature in the Brussels Palace of Justice". After 2000, he has lived between Belgium and Spain, and is reported to be an expert in

art Art is a diverse range of human activity, and resulting product, that involves creative or imaginative talent expressive of technical proficiency, beauty, emotional power, or conceptual ideas. There is no generally agreed definition of wha ...

and

literature Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to include ...

of the post-

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, link ...

period from 1939–1990. He has a son from a relationship with a Flemish Belgian. His assassination attempt against the pope was described by him as a "sacrifice" for the salvation of the Church, Spain and his conviction as a " National Catholic". He said he was not crazy and did not regret his act, even if he did not repeat it, because he had evolved. He described himself as a

sin In a religious context, sin is a transgression against divine law. Each culture has its own interpretation of what it means to commit a sin. While sins are generally considered actions, any thought, word, or act considered immoral, selfish, s ...

ner, but said he had not committed a crime. He accused the assassin

of being

anti-Christian Anti-Christian sentiment or Christophobia constitutes opposition or objections to Christians, the Christian religion, and/or its practices. Anti-Christian sentiment is sometimes referred to as Christophobia or Christianophobia, although these terms ...

and anti-Western and of holding the pope as the leader of the

crusades The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and sometimes directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The best known of these Crusades are those to the Holy Land in the period between 1095 and 1291 that were ...

. Fernández y Krohn further said that John Paul II never forgave him, unlike Ağca. Krohn had a direct intention to kill that was committed and planned for six months.

References

External links

Krohn's personal blog

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fernandez y Krohn, Juan Maria 1940s births Living people 1982 crimes in Portugal Catholic priests convicted of crimes Traditionalist Catholic priests Failed assassins 20th-century Spanish criminals People expelled from the Society of St. Pius X Spanish traditionalist Catholics Spanish people imprisoned abroad Traditionalist Catholic conspiracy theorists Prisoners and detainees of Portugal Prisoners and detainees of Belgium 20th-century Belgian lawyers Spanish conspiracy theorists Pope John Paul II Holy See–Portugal relations Holy See–Spain relations Portugal–Spain relations Date of birth missing (living people) Place of birth missing (living people) Spanish people of Norwegian descent