Man who tried to kill Pope John Paul II puts roses on his tomb

[Sal]

Man who tried to kill Pope John Paul II puts roses on his tomb

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - The man who tried to kill former Pope John Paul II 33 years ago showed up at the Vatican on Saturday to put white roses on his tomb and said he wanted to meet Pope Francis.


Mehmet Ali Agca, a Turk, left John Paul critically injured after firing several shots in the failed assassination attempt in St. Peter's Square on May 13, 1981.


The former pope forgave Agca, once a member of a Turkish far right group known as the Grey Wolves, and went to meet him in 1983 in the Rome prison where he had been sentenced to life imprisonment for the attack.


Agca called the Italian daily la Repubblica on Saturday to announce he had arrived in the Vatican, his first visit since the assassination attempt and exactly 31 years after John Paul met him in prison.


The visit was confirmed to Reuters by Father Ciro Benedettini, the Vatican's deputy spokesman, who said Agca stood for a few moments in silent meditation over the tomb in St. Peter's Basilica before leaving two bunches of white roses.


Agca, 56, was pardoned by Italy in 2000 and extradited to Turkey where he was imprisoned for the 1979 murder of a journalist and other crimes. He was released from jail in 2010.


The attack against John Paul, who died in 2005, has remained clouded by unanswered questions over who may have been behind it. An Italian investigative parliamentary commission said in 2006 it was "beyond reasonable doubt" that it was masterminded by leaders of the former Soviet Union.


The Vatican on Saturday gave a cool response to Agca's request to meet with Pope Francis. "He has put his flowers on John Paul's tomb; I think that is enough," Vatican spokesman father Federico Lombardi told la Repubblica.


(Reporting by Philip Pullella; Writing by Gavin Jones; Editing by Stephen Powell)


http://ca.news.yahoo.com/man-tried-kill-pope-john-paul-ii-puts-180226217.html


8O quite the violent past...but, still a free man ???

 

[WLDB]

Surprising. If he killed one and tried to kill another that should be enough to keep him away for life. Guess not.

 

[Sal]

Surprising. If he killed one and tried to kill another that should be enough to keep him away for life. Guess not.

I know...I found it shocking...I thought our system was bad here in Canada but ya try to kill the pope and have already apparently killed others but hey you are out in time for rose deliveries

ya get more time for fraud

 

[coldstream]

Good for him. Pope John Paul II always took the assassination attempt as the last chapter in fulfilling the vision of the children at Fatima in 1917, through which much of the turbulence and tragedy of the 20th Century was foreseen. I'm sure Papa, now a saint, noted it and sent a blessing.

 

[MHz]

Any blood dripping from the thorns on the stems?

 

[Sal]

Any blood dripping from the thorns on the stems?

doubt it...buddy looks really healthy

 

[MHz]

Had an Aunt that grew roses, she was far from being evil but she was really proud of her black roses. Since I knew that if she ever gave me one I would know how much it meant to her and that would reflect on what she thought of me. If a stranger got one what is the range of messages that could go with it?

The RCC could have done better in the past and today they could be going faster in fixing what wrongs can be fixed, the flock obviously is clueless that they shouldn't give money to a wayward church if they ever hope to see it recover. If recover from addiction to money means being dead broke at some point then they are only hindering their own recovery. A point I'm sure they would argue against.

doubt it...buddy looks really healthy

Not the first word that came to mind.

 

[Blackleaf]

It's a pity the guy failed in his assassination attempt. It's probably that reason why the leader of the Catholic Church, so "beloved" by all and sundry, goes everywhere in that ridiculous Popemobile.