Woman 'didn't want to hurt pope'

2009-12-25 21:48

Susanna Maiolo, identified by the Vatican as the woman who jumped a barrier inside St Peter's Basilica and rushed at Pope Benedict XVI for the second time in two years. (AP)

Rome -The woman accused of assaulting Pope Benedict XVI has told doctors she did not want to harm the pontiff, La Repubblica newspaper said in a report on its online edition.

Susanna Maiolo, a 25-year-old Swiss-Italian national, was admitted to hospital after the attack on the pontiff in St Peter's Basilica on Thursday night. The report quoted her as saying she "did not want to hurt him".

The report quoted Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco, archbishop of Genoa and head of the Italian bishop's conference, as saying: "Nothing serious happened. It was a woman who tried to greet the holy father."

- AFP