43 years ago today, the world was shook by gunshots in Rome
Today marks the 43rd anniversary of the harrowing assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II, a moment that sent shockwaves around the globe.
On this fateful day, 13 May 1981, the Polish pontiff was making his way through the crowds gathered in St Peter’s Square, blessing the faithful from his open Popemobile.
Suddenly, four shots rang out at close range, causing John Paul II to collapse into the arms of his aides as the Popemobile sped away, followed by a team of security officers.
The 60-year-old pontiff, struck in the abdomen, left hand, and right arm, was urgently taken to Rome’s Gemelli hospital for emergency surgery.
Pandemonium ensued in St Peter’s Square as the crowd cried out and prayed for the Holy Father’s survival. Two bystanders, female, were also injured in the attack.
The assailant, 23-year-old Turkish citizen Mehmet Ali Ağca, was quickly apprehended and taken into custody.
Live updates of the dramatic events were broadcast by Vatican Radio journalist, Benedetto Nardacci, who remarked, “For the first time, there is talk of terrorism even in the Vatican.”
Italian authorities revealed that Ağca, sought by Turkish authorities and Interpol, was a far-right extremist previously convicted of the 1979 slaying of Turkish journalist Abdi İpekçi.
Police confiscated Ağca’s Browning handgun and disclosed that he had entered Italy using a forged passport.
Karol Wojtyla, elected pope in 1978, endured a critical surgery lasting over four hours, deemed by doctors as “successful” that same night.
No vital organs were struck, and the pontiff credited his survival to the Madonna of Fatima, a vision of the Virgin Mary who first appeared to Portuguese children on 13 May 1917.
Forgiveness
The Sunday following the assassination attempt, the pope addressed the faithful via a recorded message from his hospital bed, urging prayers for the man who pulled the trigger, whom he called “my brother,” extending his “sincere forgiveness”.
In a matter of weeks, John Paul II made a full recovery and on 27 December 1983, he visited his assailant in Rome’s Rebibbia prison.
In June 2000, after serving nearly two decades of a life sentence in an Italian prison, Ağca was pardoned by then Italian president Carlo Azeglio Ciampi at the behest of JP II before being deported to Turkey.
Released from an Ankara jail in 2010, five years after the passing of Pope John Paul II, Ağca, now 66 and residing in Istanbul, stated three years ago to Italian news agency ANSA, “Certainly full light has not been shed on the attack on Pope John Paul II,” noting the world’s ever-evolving landscape.
Addressing the 40th anniversary of the failed assassination in 2021, Pope Francis reflected on his predecessor, stating, “He was certain that he owed his life to Our Lady of Fatima,” emphasizing the belief that humanity’s fate lies in divine hands.
