28.11.2025 08:00
Mehmet Ali Ağca, who attempted to assassinate Pope John Paul II 44 years ago in Vatican, went to İznik district of Bursa to meet with Pope Leo XIII. Ağca, who said, "I hope today or tomorrow we can sit and talk in İznik or Istanbul," stated that he was requested by his friends to leave the district and then set off towards Istanbul.
Mehmet Ali Ağca, who attempted to assassinate Pope John Paul II in 1981, came to the district of İznik in Bursa to meet with Pope Leo XIII. Ağca said, "I welcome the Pope. I hope that today or tomorrow, we can sit and talk in İznik or Istanbul for 2 or 3 minutes." After staying in İznik for a while, Ağca expressed that he was requested by his friends to leave the district and then departed for Istanbul.
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 attempted to assassinate Pope John Paul II in the Vatican on May 13, 1981, where he was later forgiven by the Pope. He came to the district of İznik in Bursa to meet with the new spiritual leader of Catholics, Pope Leo XIII. 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, and some were accepted. A story emerged. The Pope's coming here is, of course, 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."
"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 satanist, Zionist monster called Netanyahu is the very definition of a terrorist. Of course, the Vatican agrees with me on this. In this regard, we should continue our friendship with the Vatican."
"HE COMES HERE TO DECLARE HIS FAITH TO THE WORLD"
Mehmet Ali Ağca stated that many conspiracy theories have been produced regarding Pope Leo XIII's arrival in İznik, saying, "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."
"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, as you know, is 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 we will have the opportunity to express ourselves better, of course. We are planning to make an extraordinary, magnificent cinema, television film, documentary. The whole world will understand us better."
"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 absolutely 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. Satanist, Zionist gangs want to pit faithful people against each other to protect their power. We must never fall into these traps. By '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."
AĞCA WAS REMOVED FROM THE CITY
On the other hand, Mehmet Ali Ağca, who came to İznik to meet with Pope Leo XIII, has left the district. It was reported that Ağca stated that he was requested by his friends to leave the district. Following this, it was learned that Ağca departed from İznik towards Istanbul.