Hot on Facebook

Guy Buys $123 Safe on eBay, Finds $26,000 Inside Seller tries to get half the cash back, fails »

Man Who Shot Pope John Paul Freed

Agca promises to reveal truth behind shooting, claims to be messiah

By Rob Quinn, Newser Staff

Posted Jan 19, 2010 12:00 AM CST

(Newser) – The Turkish man who shot and wounded Pope John Paul II in 1981 was freed yesterday after nearly 30 years in jail and has promised to tell the full story about the assassination attempt. Mehmet Ali Agca claimed after the shooting that Soviet agents were behind the attack—a theory believed by Italian magistrates and Vatican officials—but he later withdrew his remarks, the Guardian reports.

Italy pardoned Agca in 2000 but he was re-arrested on his return to Turkey for other crimes, including the 1979 murder of a left-wing journalist. He was taken to a military hospital to be assessed for compulsory service as soon as he was released, although lawyers believe his mental health issues will make military service unlikely for the 52-year-old. "I proclaim the end of the world. All the world will be destroyed in this century," Agca said in a statement issued by his lawyer. "Every human being will die in this century. I am the Christ eternal."

Mehmet Ali Agca, who shot Pope John-Paul II in Rome in 1981, arrives a hotel after he was released from prison in Ankara, Turkey, yesterday. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

CLICK BELOW TO VOTE

44%

13%

25%

To report an error on this story, notify our editors.

More Newser Stories

John Paul II's Attacker Wants Vatican Baptism

Man who shot pontiff seeks ceremony after prison release

(NEWSER) - The man who shot Pope John Paul II gets out of prison in January—and when he does, he wants to be baptized at the Vatican, his lawyer says. Over the years, Mehmet Ali Agca has claimed to be the Messiah or Jesus Christ, fueling speculation about his mental health and the possibility that he had converted to Christianity. But his lawyer tells the AP Agca’s “not formally a Christian.” More»

Pope John Paul II Immortalized by This?

Vatican newspaper says statue is a travesty

(NEWSER) - The Vatican is not a fan of a new bronze sculpture of John Paul II outside Rome's main train station, reports AP . Artist Oliviero Rainaldi says he depicted the late pontiff opening his cloak to embrace Catholics, but the official Vatican newspaper says it looks instead like a bomb went off. Two passers-by tell AP it looks more like Mussolini. More»

John Paul Deserves His Sainthood

He worked a political miracle against communism: Peggy Noonan

(NEWSER) - John Paul II continues his speedy path to sainthood this weekend, and Peggy Noonan thinks it's well-deserved. You want miracles? How about the political one he pulled off with his 1979 visit to his native Poland. It was simultaneously one of the "greatest moments in the history of faith" and "one of the greatest moments in modern political history," writes Noonan in the Wall Street Journal . Millions turned out in the supposedly atheist state to see him, a fact that government-run TV unwisely tried to ignore. More»

Pope John Paul’s Body Exhumed for Beatification

Rome in throes of 'beatification fever'

(NEWSER) - Move over, wedding fever: “Beatification fever” has begun. Tens of thousands are arriving in Rome for the beatification of Pope John Paul II , for which the pontiff’s coffin was exhumed today. As Vatican officials—including John Paul’s closest aide, Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz—watched and prayed, the coffin was lifted from the crypts under St. Peter’s Basilica, Reuters reports. It will rest in front of the Basilica’s main altar. More»

John Paul Hits Facebook

Part of Vatican's social-networking push

(NEWSER) - Sure, Pope John Paul II is set to be beatified, but now he's even on Facebook. The Vatican, continuing its efforts to get hip with the kids, is unveiling a Facebook page to hype the late pope's May 1 beatification, featuring video highlights of his 27 years as pontiff. The move comes as part of the Catholic Church's efforts to capitalize on social networking sites to evangelize, reports the AP. More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website

Man Who Shot Pope John Paul Freed

Agca promises to reveal truth behind shooting, claims to be messiah

OTHER STORIES ON OUR RADAR

Turkey • Vatican • Pope John Paul II • assassination attempt • Mehmet Ali Agca

MOST POPULAR STORIES

[ By Views ]

[ By Comments ]

More Newser Stories

John Paul II's Attacker Wants Vatican Baptism

Man who shot pontiff seeks ceremony after prison release

Pope John Paul II Immortalized by This?

Vatican newspaper says statue is a travesty

John Paul Deserves His Sainthood

He worked a political miracle against communism: Peggy Noonan

Pope John Paul’s Body Exhumed for Beatification

Rome in throes of 'beatification fever'

John Paul Hits Facebook

Part of Vatican's social-networking push

About Us

Site

Newser By Users

Community

Site Maps

Tools

More News

What is Newser?

Man Who Shot Pope John Paul Freed

Agca promises to reveal truth behind shooting, claims to be messiah

Bookmark & Share

OTHER STORIES ON OUR RADAR

Turkey • Vatican • Pope John Paul II • assassination attempt • Mehmet Ali Agca

MOST POPULAR STORIES

[ By Views ]

[ By Comments ]

More Newser Stories

John Paul II's Attacker Wants Vatican Baptism

Man who shot pontiff seeks ceremony after prison release

Pope John Paul II Immortalized by This?

Vatican newspaper says statue is a travesty

John Paul Deserves His Sainthood

He worked a political miracle against communism: Peggy Noonan

Pope John Paul’s Body Exhumed for Beatification

Rome in throes of 'beatification fever'

John Paul Hits Facebook

Part of Vatican's social-networking push

About Us

Site

Newser By Users

Community

Site Maps

Tools

More News

What is Newser?