27.11.2025 17:51
Mehmet Ali Ağca, who attempted to assassinate Pope John Paul II in 1981, came to İznik, a district of Bursa, to meet with Pope Leo XIII. Ağca said to the Pope, "Welcome. I hope that today or tomorrow we can sit and talk in İznik or Istanbul for 2 or 3 minutes."
After killing Milliyet Newspaper's Editor-in-Chief Abdi İpekçi on February 1, 1979, Mehmet Ali Ağca escaped from the prison where he was held and was pardoned by Pope John Paul II, whom he attempted to assassinate in the Vatican on May 13, 1981, after going there illegally. He came to İznik, Bursa to meet with the new spiritual leader of Catholics, Pope Leo XIV.
MEHMET ALİ AĞCA IN İZNİK
Speaking after visiting the Hagia Sophia Mosque, Mehmet Ali Ağca said, "Exactly 1700 years ago today, an extraordinary event took place in İznik. Some of the Gospels were rejected, some were accepted. A story emerged. Of course, the Pope's coming here is also an extraordinary event. I say 'Welcome' to the Pope. We are happy to welcome him as a guest. We also find the contributions of the Vatican to world peace very important," he stated.
"I AM AT THE CENTER OF A DIVINE PLAN"
Ağca, who stated that he has always been misunderstood, said, "I am at the center of a divine plan. The world could not understand this. Wrong things are being said, like 'he is a terrorist, this and that.' The real terrorist is Netanyahu. The satanic, Zionist monster called Netanyahu is the very definition of a terrorist. Of course, the Vatican agrees with me on this. In this respect, we should continue our friendship with the Vatican," he added.
"HE IS COMING HERE TO DECLARE HIS FAITH TO THE WORLD"
Stating that many conspiracy theories have been produced regarding Pope Leo XIV's arrival in İznik, Mehmet Ali Ağca said, "In the meantime, there are very ignorant, primitive conspiracy theories. 'The Pope is coming here for this reason.' No, he is only coming here to declare his faith to the world. We respect that. Your religion is yours, my religion is mine. There is no compulsion in religion. We respect religious freedoms. The matter is that simple," he remarked.
"WE HAVE OVERCOME ALL OF THEM"
Ağca, who claimed that conspiracy theories have also been produced about him over the years, said: "The most important of these theories, you know; the Soviet story, the Bulgarian story. NATO produced this. NATO claimed that the Soviets shot the Pope. These stories played an important role in the collapse of the Soviet Empire, of course. I knowingly took part in these events for the collapse of the Soviet Empire. We should not pay much attention to these; we have overcome all of them."
"THE WHOLE WORLD WILL UNDERSTAND US BETTER"
Speaking about the media's attitude towards him, Ağca mentioned that he is preparing a documentary about his life, saying, "I understand that the media has an interest and reaction to the visible stories. Everyone has an ideology. We need to look at different thoughts with understanding. I am not an enemy of the media, but of course, we will have the opportunity to express ourselves better. We are planning to make an extraordinary, magnificent cinema, television film, documentary. The whole world will understand us better," he stated.
"WE NEED TO BE FRIENDS WITH THE VATICAN"
Ağca stated, "I say clearly and openly. We say 'Welcome' to the Pope. We hope that Turkey will welcome and send off the Pope in the best way. Let’s be friends. I firmly believe that we need to be friends with the Vatican. Today, billions of people are fighting unnecessarily all over the world, in Africa, in Asia. These are unnecessary fights, of course, not religious fights. These are fights produced by savage capitalism, by savage Zionism. I emphasize this. Satanic, Zionist gangs want to pit faithful people against each other to protect their power. We must never fall into these traps. When I say 'we,' I mean billions of people. Let’s live in peace; the world has enough problems. I also say 'Welcome' to the Pope. I hope that today or tomorrow, we can sit and talk in İznik or Istanbul for 2 or 3 minutes," he concluded.