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| Europe |
| Mehmet Ali Agca wants to be baptised at the Vatican |
| 2009-05-14 |
| [ADN Kronos] The Turkish gunman, who tried to kill the late Pope John Paul II in 1981, has told an Italian newspaper he wants to convert to Catholicism. In an interview with the Italian daily, La Repubblica, Mehmet Ali Agca said he wants to be baptised in St. Peter's square, where he shot and wounded the Polish pope. Mehmet Ali Agca wounded John Paul II on 13 May 1981. He was a member of the radical right-wing Turkish group, the Grey Wolves and was captured immediately after shooting the pontiff. The pope later, from his hospital bed, forgave his assailant. "Once freed, I would like to be baptised. I would like to do it in front of media from all over the world, in the Vatican, exactly in front of St. Peter's Square, the place where I struck Pope Wojtyla (John Paul II)," said Ali Agca in an interview published on Tuesday. Regarding John Paul II, Ali Agca says he remembers him as a kind human being. "I remember the pope as the most respectable and kind-hearted human being of the 21st century. I would like to pay him a tribute in front of his tomb," he said. When asked about how he feels in Turkey, Agca said he missed Italy, but would like to receive Portuguese citizenship. "I am okay. Although I thought I would feel better in Turkey once I was extradited. They treat me well here, but I miss Italy and I miss freedom. "I would like to travel, have a simple life and work...we are trying to talk to the Portuguese government. I would like to obtain citizenship there. "In Portugal, at Fatima, there is a statue of the Virgin of Fatima which was dear to Wojtyla," he said. "Pope Ratzinger explained that the assassination attempt constituted the famous Third Secret, that is why I chose Portugal." The Third Secret of Fatima is a prophecy believed to have been given to three Portuguese children during a series of apparitions by the Virgin Mary in 1917 on 13 May, the same day John Paul II was shot. The text, written down more than 50 years ago by one of the children, refers to a bishop dressed in white being killed by a group of soldiers who fired bullets and arrows at him. However, there have been many reports about a so-called conversion by Ali Agca. Recently in a letter to Italian weekly, Diva e Donna, Ali Agca said he would like to marry an Italian and that he had already converted to Catholicism on 13 May 2007, 26 years after the attempt on John Paul II's life. After serving almost 20 years of a life sentence in prison in Italy, he received an official pardon from former Italian president Carlo Azeglio Ciampi in 2000 and was deported to Turkey. He was then jailed at the Yenikent jail in the capital Ankara where he is serving a separate sentence for robbery and murder. Ali Agca first claimed he was commissioned to kill the pontiff by Bulgaria on the orders of the Soviet KGB or intelligence services. Agca later recanted, but suspicions continued about a Bulgarian connection, involving secret services of the then Communist bloc who feared the Polish Pope's influence on the global stage. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #13 Luke 23:39-43 (New International Version) 39One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: "Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us!" 40But the other criminal rebuked him. "Don't you fear God," he said, "since you are under the same sentence? 41We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong." 42Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." 43Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise." |
| Posted by: Skunky Glins 5*** 2009-05-14 22:04 |
| #12 I gather he wants his baptism to be as well-publicized as possible. Since he was (I gather) Muslim, this will bring the usual fatwas demanding death to the apostate. If he is serious, he is courageous. |
| Posted by: James 2009-05-14 21:30 |
| #11 I suppose if Paul, who said that before his conversion he persecuted church members unto their deaths, could go on to write what became entire books of the New Testament, then I also suppose Agca could be baptized. |
| Posted by: Thing From Snowy Mountain 2009-05-14 19:52 |
| #10 troll droppings? It is your nick choice |
| Posted by: Frank G 2009-05-14 19:36 |
| #9 I happen to agree with AllahHatMe on the forgiveness part but not calling yall Rednecks. He isn't a troll. |
| Posted by: Deacon Blues 2009-05-14 19:36 |
| #8 Hey AllahHateMe TROLL, Ummm, Mods troll droppings on aisle 7, cleanup please. |
| Posted by: Redneck Jim 2009-05-14 17:18 |
| #7 Christianity is founded on the principle of forgiveness and redemption. Is that not, after all, why God sent His only Son? Pope JP2 forgave him, so, *if* the man truly wants to convert, then the opinions of rednecks and others is irrelevant. |
| Posted by: AllahHateMe 2009-05-14 16:59 |
| #6 I never said I agreed with a request for a baptism nor do I think Hinckley deserves weekend outings. Sounds like a ploy to get inside the Vatican. Forgiveness is between Agca and God and any negotiations between them can be done anywhere, including a jail cell. |
| Posted by: Lumpy Elmoluck5091 2009-05-14 14:43 |
| #5 I feel the same way about John Hinckley, who continues to request weekends with his parents. The rule is - you take a shot at the President, you go to jail for life. Period. |
| Posted by: Seafarious 2009-05-14 14:23 |
| #4 Sorry to disagree, but having attempted to kill a pope, should bar any consideration from any Catholic, I say NO BAPTISM,(Unless you hold him down till the bubbles quit rising). |
| Posted by: Redneck Jim 2009-05-14 14:21 |
| #3 Jack: No, I read fiction for entertainment but authors do a lot of research to make the plot plausible. It was just a comment, as according to the book, the third secret is one kept confidential by the Vatican, giving poetic license to Berry and in conflict with the popes' explanation. |
| Posted by: Lumpy Elmoluck5091 2009-05-14 09:57 |
| #2 Hey, Lumpy. Do you believe all the fiction you read? Agca also suggested that once he is baptized he wants to then receive an honorary degree at Notre Dame. |
| Posted by: Jack is Back! 2009-05-14 09:23 |
| #1 In The Third Secret by Steve Berry, the secret is that the last pope is named Benedict, a pompous and corrupt pontiff. |
| Posted by: Lumpy Elmoluck5091 2009-05-14 01:09 |