Man who shot a Pope in 1981 wanted to meet Leo XIV, here’s why he never did

By Tolulope Oke

Mehmet Ali Agca, the Turkish national who attempted to assassinate Pope John Paul II in 1981, reportedly hoped to meet Pope Leo XIV during the pontiff’s historic visit to Turkey this week.

AFP reported that authorities, however, removed Agca from the town of Iznik ahead of the Pope’s arrival.

Agca shot Pope John Paul II multiple times in St. Peter’s Square in May 1981, seriously injuring him. After serving a life sentence in Italy, Agca was transferred to Turkey, where he remained in prison until his release in January 2010 after 29 years behind bars.

According to Turkish media, Agca expressed his desire to meet the current Pope for “two or three minutes” during the visit, saying he wished to greet him in Iznik or Istanbul. Despite this, officials decided to bar him from attending the events, citing security concerns and the potential risk of any public encounter.

Pope Leo XIV’s stop in Iznik is part of his first international trip as leader of the Catholic Church and coincides with the 1,700th anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea, a historic gathering of bishops in 325 AD that established central Christian doctrines.

Agca had previously met John Paul II in prison in December 1983, when the pontiff forgave him without probing into his motives. While he hoped for a similar brief encounter with Leo XIV, authorities made it clear that such a meeting would not be allowed for safety reasons.

During his visit, Pope Leo XIV has focused on meetings with bishops, priests, and other religious leaders at the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit in Istanbul, underscoring the Vatican’s ongoing diplomatic and religious engagement in Turkey.