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Mehmet Ali Agca Escorted Out of Iznik Ahead of Pope Leo XIV's Visit, Turkish Media Report

01:11 PM, 11/28/2025
Mehmet Ali Agca Escorted Out of Iznik Ahead of Pope Leo XIV's Visit, Turkish Media Report

Mehmet Ali Agca, who shot Pope John Paul II in 1981, was reportedly escorted out of Iznik ahead of Pope Leo XIV's visit. Agca, released from prison in 2010 after about 29 years behind bars, said he had hoped for a brief meeting with the pope. Authorities removed him before the pontiff's arrival. The pope's visit marks the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea.

Turkish media reported that Mehmet Ali Agca, the man who attempted to assassinate Pope John Paul II in 1981, was escorted out of the town of Iznik on Thursday ahead of a planned visit by Pope Leo XIV.

Agca fired multiple shots at Pope John Paul II in St. Peter's Square in May 1981, seriously wounding the pontiff. He was convicted in Italy and later served time in Turkey; he was released in January 2010 after serving roughly 29 years in prison.

While in Iznik, Agca told local outlets that he hoped for a brief meeting with the pope, saying he wished to "welcome the pope" and hoped they could "sit down and talk in Iznik, or in Istanbul, for two or three minutes." According to reports, authorities removed him from the town before the pope's arrival.

Agca met Pope John Paul II in prison in December 1983, an encounter in which he expressed repentance though he did not clearly explain his motives. The latest developments in Iznik follow longstanding public interest in both the 1981 attack and Agca's later life.

The pope's stop in Iznik coincides with the 1,700th anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea, the 325 gathering of bishops whose creed remains central to many Christian denominations.

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