Violence and forgiveness
When Pope John Paul II forgave the man who shot him
Alex Q. Arbuckle
1981-1983
On May 13, 1981, Pope John Paul II was crossing St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City when an attempt was made on his life. Mehmet Ali Ağca, who had escaped from a Turkish prison after receiving a life sentence for murdering a journalist, fired four shots with a 9-millimeter pistol. Two struck the pope in his lower intestine, one in his right arm and one in his left index finger. Two bystanders were also wounded. Ağca’s accomplice, Oral Çelik, was supposed to set off a diversionary explosion to cover his escape, but lost his nerve and fled. Ağca was tackled and arrested while the pope was rushed to the hospital.
Despite severe blood loss, the pontiff survived, and asked for all Catholics to pray for Ağca, whom he had “sincerely forgiven.”An Italian court sentenced Ağca to life in prison. The motive for the assassination attempt and its planners remains mysterious — theories and allegations have accused the CIA, the KGB, the Bulgarian government, the Turkish mafia and more.In 1983, John Paul II visited his would-be assassin. They had a private conversation, and emerged as friends. The pope stayed in touch with Ağca’s family during the latter's incarceration, and in 2000 requested that he be pardoned.The request was granted. Ağca was released and deported to Turkey, where he was imprisoned for the life sentence he had fled decades prior.He converted to Christianity while incarcerated, and was finally released in 2010.In December 2014, he returned to Rome and laid two dozen white roses at the pope’s tomb.
