Benjamín Mendoza y Amor Flores

Benjamín Mendoza y Amor Flores (March 31, 1933 – 2004)[1][2] was a Bolivian surrealist painter who made an unsuccessful attempt to assassinate Pope Paul VI in Manila in 1970.

Personal life

Mendoza left La Paz, Bolivia, in 1962.[1] From 1962 until 1970, he lived in Argentina, the United States, Japan, Hong Kong and the Philippines.[1] In Argentina, in the early 1960s, he exhibited his work in a few galleries in the San Telmo district and in 1963 illustrated the book Todo estaba sucio, by Raúl Barón Biza. He also made two murals for the Manila Hotel in Mar del Plata, which no longer exist.[3] He then exhibited in the Soviet Union, Hawaii,[4] and after that moved to the Philippines.

Assassination attempt

On November 27, 1970, at approximately 9:30 in the morning, Mendoza, dressed as a priest, crucifix in hand, managed to approach the Pope shortly after the Pontiff disembarked from his chartered DC-8 jet at the Manila International Airport. Mendoza stabbed him twice in the neck with a kris (a type of short dagger, hitting on either side of the jugular vein, .[1][5] On both sides of the weapon was the inscription "bullets, superstitions, flags, kingdoms, garbage, armies and shit." [3]

The private secretary of Pope Paul VI, Pasquale Macchi, reduced the violence of the attack by blocking the aggressor's arm. In addition, the Pope wore a rigid collar to relieve the pain from cervical spondylosis, another factor contributing to the lightness of the wounds, and he was only lightly stabbed[6][7]. Suffering only slight injuries to his chest, the Pope continued his official visit according to the planned program. The fact that he was wounded at all was not revealed until after his death in 1978.

Mendoza, who said during his trial "I will save mankind from superstition" was convicted of attempted murder. Mendoza was subdued by monsignors Macchi and Paul Marcinkus and was subsequently arrested [1].

Life after prison

While Mendoza was in prison, a gallery owner ordered a series of his paintings for an exhibition. These paintings were sold in their entirety.

After serving a 38-month prison sentence in the Philippines, Mendoza was released on bail of £ 533, approximately US$ 700)[8] and was deported to Bolivia in 1974. Upon regaining his freedom, Flores organized several exhibitions in more than 80 countries. He lived in Lima.[9] Asked about his attempt to assassinate Pope Paul VI, he said he simply wanted to attract attention.[10] According to filmmaker Armando Bó, who made contact with Mendoza, he acted in a "moment of madness".

References
  1. "Apostle Endangered". Time, December 7, 1970. Retrieved April 13, 2007
  2. "La muerte viva en la obra de Benjamín Mendoza y Amor". Amerika (in Spanish).
  3. de la Sota, Candelaria (2008). El escritor maldito (The Cursed Writer) (in Spanish). Vergara pp. 16,17,163. ISBN 978-950-15-2385-0.]
  4. Ferrer, Christian (2012). Barón Biza (in Spanish). Random House Mondadori. ISBN 978-950-07-3906-1.]
  5. christiantoday.com
  6. "On this day: November 27". KCCI-TV News. November 27, 2013. Retrieved November 3, 2014.
  7. "Pope Paul VI Beatified as 'Great Helmsman' of Vatican II". Catholic New York. October 20, 2014. Archived from the original on November 3, 2014. Retrieved November 3, 2014.
  8. Richards, Keith (1999). Lo imaginario mestizo (The imaginary mestizo) (in Spanish). Multiple editors. ISBN 84-89891-49-4.]
  9. elamaule.do
  10. |15:20:32 July 20, 2013 revista.impacto.mx
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