Pope John Paul II wished to visit Bulgaria as early as 1992, but concerns over the schism in the Church forced him to postpone it, former Apostolic Nuncio in Bulgaria Monsignor Mario Rizzi, said for the BBC. Monsignor Rizzi, the first representative of the Vatican in Bulgaria, voiced certitude that the Papal visit to Bulgaria (wwwpopeinbulgaria.com) will put an end to the hints at Bulgarian involvement in the unsuccessful assassination attempt on the Pope. He took a stand against the allegations at the beginning of his stay in Bulgaria in 1991. Though first his position ran counter to that of some high ranking representatives of the Vatican, later his words were positively assessed by Pope John Paul II. In another interview for Vatican Radio former Bulgarian President Zhelev said that back in 1995 he asked the Pope about his opinion on Bulgaria’s involvement in the assassination attempt on him. The Pope answered that nobody has the right to hold one nation responsible for the deed, even if such a connection exists. In a separate development Italy's Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti expressed the opinion that Bulgaria has nothing to do with the assassination attempt. The two memorable meetings are described by the former president in his book “In the Big Politics”.