.- The famous papal photographer, Arturo Mari, has announced he will retire from the post he has held for more than 50 years.
The quiet and discreet Italian photographer, who took some of the most moving images of Pope John Paul II, including pictures of the attempt on his life on May 13, 1981, announced this week he will finally retire and hand his post over to his up-to-now assistant, Francesco Sforza. Throughout the pontificate of John Paul II, Mari accompanied the Pope on all of his travels without taking a single vacation or sick day, which he attributed to “the incredible energy which the Holy Father gave me.”
Mari, whose wife is from Ecuador and taught him Spanish, was especially fond of the Pope’s travels to Latin America.
In April of this year, Mari photographed one of the most significant papal events of his life: the priestly ordination of his own son, Juan Carlos Mari, who became a priest for the Diocese of Rome.
