Michelini began his journalistic career in the late 1970s as a host and special correspondent for the
RAI news programme
TG1. He was one of the first to interview
Pope John Paul II and later wrote ten books about his
pontificate. In 1981, Michelini, as correspondent in the
Vatican City, documented the
Pope John Paul II assassination attempt. An expert on
Vatican history, Michelini joined the
Christian Democrats (DC), and was elected to the
European Parliament in 1984 and 1989, and to the
Chamber of Deputies in 1987 and 1992. In 1994, Michelini was re-elected to the Chamber of Deputies with the
Segni Pact, but left the party after a few months. The following year, he joined
Silvio Berlusconi's
Forza Italia (FI) and became the
Pole for Freedoms candidate for the
Presidency of Lazio at the
1995 regional election, but was defeated by the
Olive Tree candidate (and Michelini's former colleague)
Piero Badaloni. In 2006, Michelini left
Forza Italia due to his refusal to support the candidacy of
Gianni Alemanno as
Mayor of Rome, giving his support instead to the incumbent Mayor
Walter Veltroni. == References ==