Foreign Policy

Mehmet Ali Agca, Have We Forgotten, Or Forgiven?

January 12, 2006 ⋅  E-Mail Article ⋅  Print Article ⋅ Post a comment

Mehmet Ali Agca, a symbol of Love or a symbol of Hate, a symbol of Vengeance or a symbol of Forgiveness? He has been released back into free society, how will he be received?

No greater love has current humanity witnessed than when an Islamic extremist shot and attempted to kill the leader of the largest Christian church in the world on May 13th.

Many of us hold distinct religious beliefs but on May 13th 1981 we all became a little close,r and this event has affected your life whether you know it or not.
I have many Islamic faith based friends, I have cooked many dinners in celebration of Ramadan, I have also had them over for Christmas meals,
Many times we have discussed how the shooting of the pope turned a tragedy into a human triumph. On May 13th 1981 an act of violence turned into a bridge of communication and the world is a better place because of it.

Pope John Paul the 2nd and Mehmet Ali Agca helped the world once again realize just how close and related Christianity and Islam are in their belief of one god.

If you are not familiar with the pope he is considered to be the leader of the Catholic Church. Pope John Paul II was born Karol Józef Wojtyla May 18, 1920.
He reigned as pope of the Catholic Church for almost 27 years 1978 -2005.
He had the third-longest reign in the history of the Papacy according to the Roman Catholic tradition. He was the first non-Italian to reign since the 16th century. Early on he stood strong against indifferences with communism
He refused to alter the long-standing doctrines regarding age old religious values. He was known as “God’s athlete” because of his sportsmanlike attitude and enjoyment of athletic activities.

In 1981 there was an assassination attempt on his life.
After the 1981 assassination attempt on his life the popes’ vigor for athletics seemed to wither. He never fully recovered, and the years afterward were marked by slow decline. The last years of his papal reign were marked by fights against various diseases Many felt he should abdicate his role as pope.
However, in retrospect his determination is widely seen as an exemplary display of courage.

There are many conspiracy theories on why the pope got shot, the truth of why the pope got shot may never truly be known, but we do know who the shooter was. Mehmet is a very intriguing individual. Mehmet Ali Agca was born January 9, 1958. He is best known as the man who shot Pope John Paul 2nd in Saint Peter’s Square on May 13, 1981. As a youth, Mehmet was known as an insignificant minor criminal who was a known member of a local street gang in his home town. As Mehmet approached young adulthood he became a smuggler in the lucrative market of underground trade between Turkey and Bulgaria.
During his time as a smuggler Mehmet befriended individuals involved in various terrorist organizations. Mehmets’ new associates sent him to Syria where he received two months of training in weaponry and terrorist tactics. Mehmet has claimed this training was paid for by the Bulgarian government but Bulgaria has steadfastly denied this.

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