Attempted assassination of Pope John Paul II
On the 13th of May 1981, Pope John Paul II entered St. Peter's Square in Vatican City to greet a crowd of supporters. Mehmet Ali Ağca sat among the spectators writing postcards while waiting for the pontiff to arrive. At 17:17, Ağca fired four shots from a 9mm Browning Hi-Power semi-automatic pistol. Two bullets struck the Pope; one hit his torso and narrowly missed vital organs while another pierced his left index finger. The Pope suffered severe blood loss as he was rushed immediately to a hospital. A second bullet struck Ann Odre of Buffalo, New York, in her chest during the chaos. Rose Hall of Massachusetts sustained a slight wound to her arm. Ağca fled the scene but was grabbed by Camillo Cibin, the Vatican security chief, before he could fire again or escape. He disposed of the weapon by throwing it under a truck.
In 1979, The New York Times reported that Ağca had described himself as the killer of Abdi İpekçi, editor of the Turkish newspaper Milliyet. He threatened to shoot the Pope if he did not cancel his planned visit to Turkey which occurred in late November 1979. Beginning in August 1980, Ağca traveled across the Mediterranean region using the alias Vilperi. He altered passports and identities possibly to hide his point of origin in Sofia, Bulgaria. He entered Rome on the 10th of May 1981 arriving by train from Milan. According to Ağca's later testimony, he met with three accomplices in Rome including one fellow Turk and two Bulgarians. The operation was commanded by Zilo Vassilev, the Bulgarian military attaché in Italy. Ağca claimed he received this mission from Turkish mafioso Bekir Çelenk while in Bulgaria. The plan involved him and backup gunman Oral Çelik opening fire and escaping to the Bulgarian embassy under cover of panic generated by a small explosion.
Ağca was sentenced to life imprisonment in July 1981 for the assassination attempt by an Italian court. He was pardoned by Italian president Carlo Azeglio Ciampi in June 2000 at the Pope's request. Following the pardon, he was extradited to Turkey where he faced charges for the 1979 murder of journalist Abdi İpekçi and two bank raids from the 1970s. A Turkish court announced in November 2004 that he would not be eligible for release until 2010 despite a plea for early freedom. He was released on parole on the 12th of January 2006 but returned to jail after the Turkish Supreme Court ruled his time served in Italy could not count toward his sentence. Ağca finally left prison on the 18th of January 2010 after serving almost 29 years behind bars.
Following the shooting, Pope John Paul II asked people to pray for his brother Ağca whom he had sincerely forgiven. In 1983, the Pope met Ağca privately at Rome's Rebibbia Prison where the attacker was held. Ağca reportedly kissed the Pope's ring at the conclusion of their visit though some mistakenly thought the Pope was hearing his confession. The Pope maintained contact with Ağca's family over the years meeting his mother in 1987 and his brother Muezzin Ağca a decade later. Although Ağca once stated the Pope represented all that is capitalism, he developed a friendship with the pontiff. In early February 2005 during the Pope's illness, Ağca sent a letter wishing him well.
Several theories exist concerning Ağca's assassination attempt including claims that Moscow instructed the KGB to carry out the mission. Michael Ledeen and Claire Sterling advocated since the early 1980s that Bulgarian and East German secret services executed the order. Noam Chomsky and Edward S. Herman termed this disinformation as news in their book Manufacturing Consent published in 1988. Wolfgang Achtner of The Independent called it one of the most successful cases of disinformation. Ağca himself gave multiple conflicting statements on the assassination at different times. Attorney Antonio Marini stated that Ağca manipulated everyone telling hundreds of lies and forcing open tens of different investigations. He originally claimed membership in the Marxist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine but they denied any ties. Following the shooting, Ağca made claims about contacts with a Bulgarian agent in Rome whose cover was the Bulgarian national airline office. Sergei Antonov was arrested based on Ağca's testimony but found not guilty after a three-year trial in 1986.
The date of the attempted assassination, the 13th of May 1981, marked the 64th anniversary of the first apparition of the Virgin Mary to children at Fátima in 1917. On the 13th of May 2000, Cardinal Angelo Sodano linked the Third Secret of Fátima to the assassination attempt during a public address. He identified the prophecy's Bishop clothed in white as the Pope and repeated John Paul II's impression that a motherly hand deflected Ağca's bullets. The Vatican revealed the text of the Third Secret itself on the 26th of June 2000. While in prison on remand, Ağca developed an obsession with Fátima. During the trial he claimed he was the second coming of Jesus Christ and called on the Vatican to release the Third Secret. In 2010 Ağca asserted that Cardinal Agostino Casaroli had been behind the assassination attempt. When Ağca published his memoirs in 2013 his story changed completely writing that the Iranian government ordered the attack.
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Common questions
When did the attempted assassination of Pope John Paul II occur?
The attempted assassination of Pope John Paul II occurred on the 13th of May 1981. Mehmet Ali Ağca fired four shots from a 9mm Browning Hi-Power semi-automatic pistol at 17:17 in St. Peter's Square.
Who shot Pope John Paul II during the attack in Vatican City?
Mehmet Ali Ağca shot Pope John Paul II during the attack in Vatican City. He was identified as the killer of Abdi İpekçi and traveled to Rome using the alias Vilperi before entering the city on the 10th of May 1981.
What happened to Mehmet Ali Ağca after he was captured following the shooting?
Mehmet Ali Ağca was sentenced to life imprisonment in July 1981 for the assassination attempt by an Italian court. He was pardoned by Italian president Carlo Azeglio Ciampi in June 2000 and finally left prison on the 18th of January 2010 after serving almost 29 years behind bars.
Did Pope John Paul II meet with his attacker Mehmet Ali Ağca after the shooting?
Yes, Pope John Paul II met with his attacker Mehmet Ali Ağca privately at Rome's Rebibbia Prison in 1983. The Pope maintained contact with Ağca's family over the years meeting his mother in 1987 and his brother Muezzin Ağca a decade later.
Why did some people believe Moscow or Bulgaria ordered the attempted assassination of Pope John Paul II?
Some people believed Moscow or Bulgaria ordered the attempted assassination of Pope John Paul II because Michael Ledeen and Claire Sterling advocated since the early 1980s that Bulgarian and East German secret services executed the order. Noam Chomsky and Edward S. Herman termed this disinformation as news in their book Manufacturing Consent published in 1988.