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Pope John Paul II blesses the faithful |
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Pope John Paul II |
On 13 May 1981, Pope John Paul II was shot at point blank range, as he stood in an open pope mobile in St Peter’s Square. The seriously wounded Pope was rushed to hospital. His would-be assassin, Turkish Mehmet Ali Ağca, was grabbed by the crowd and prevented from escaping. Hit in the abdomen, left hand and right arm, doctors were able to save the Pope's life only because Ağca's bullets missed any vital organs.
Three days after the shooting, the Pope publicly forgave Ağca and asked people to "pray for my brother (Ağca), whom I have sincerely forgiven."
That fateful day was also the feast of the Virgin of Fatima, Portugal. The Holy Father kept himself conscious on the ride to the hospital by concentrating on her, and believes that the Virgin Mary’s hand spared him from death. The Pope later traveled to Portugal to have the bullet mounted in the image of Our Lady of Fatima.
Two years later, Pope John Paul II visited the prison where Ağca was being held. The two spoke privately for some time. The Pope would later request clemency for him, which was granted in 2000. Ağca then returned to Turkey and is in prison for other crimes.
*Images from Zero Hour program.
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