 |
Al-Ahram Weekly 22 - 28 June 2000 Issue No. 487 
|
||
Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
| ||
|
Al-Ahram Weekly 22 - 28 June 2000 Issue No. 487
|
||
| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
| ||
Egypt Region International Economy Focus Opinion Culture Features Travel Living Sports Profile People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Saved by the Virgin
By Samia Nkrumah
The extradition of Ali Mehmet Agca from Italy to Turkey this week revived curiosity in the almost 20-year-old unresolved mystery of the assassination attempt on the life of Pope John Paul II. On 13 May 1981, Agca shot the pontiff at very close range in the stomach, hand and arm while the latter rode in an open car in St Peter's Square. Soon after, the Turkish attacker was captured at the scene of the shooting. The pope, who was 61 years old at the time and three years into his papacy, sustained serious injuries that had a lasting effect on his health.
But despite two extensive trials, no hard facts as to who ordered the killing have ever come to light and the evidence remains inconclusive until today. Yet Italy pardoned Agca partly in compliance with the pope's wishes. The pontiff indicated more than once that he would like his would-be assassin to be granted clemency, and particularly in this Jubilee year, which he declared a year of forgiveness. "The Holy See has confirmed its support of an act of clemency in recent days," the Italian justice minister said. Vatican spokesman Navarro-Valls confirmed that the pope "was very satisfied" that the clemency decree had been passed.
The timing of the pardon of the one-time militant, therefore, did not come as a surprise. Agca had served more than 19 years of a life sentence -- something quite rare in Italy. A magistrate who oversaw an investigation into the attempted murder, Rosario Priore, remarked that "no one stays in prison in Italy for more than 20 years," and no one stays imprisoned simply "to make him talk."
Failure to consolidate any one theory on the attempted assassination was largely due to Agca's conflicting testimony, his erratic demeanour and riddle-infested testimonies, which culminated in his bizarre declaration that he was the resurrected Jesus Christ. This last outburst, coupled with repeated inconsistencies, eventually cast doubt on Agca's sanity and effectively rendered all his earlier disclosures suspect.
What no one doubts today is that Agca did not act alone. But beyond this basic supposition, little else is clear. There is growing suspicion that Agca was and remains ignorant of the full story, or that he feigned ignorance to save his skin. Judge Priore was recently quoted by Italy's ANSA news agency as saying that Agca was a pawn in a plot and that "he was the last ring in a chain and therefore did not know everything."
A number of conspiracy theories have emerged in the past, the most notable suggesting the involvement of the Bulgarian secret service and the Soviet Union. After first stating that he had acted alone, Agca claimed that he was commissioned by Bulgarian secret service agents to carry out the shooting on behalf of the KGB. He alleged that the KGB had hoped to eliminate the pope, who supported Poland's Solidarity movement, which eventually played a crucial role in bringing down the communist regime. But Agca subsequently retracted those earlier statements and said that the Bulgarian connection was fabricated.
Three Bulgarians and four Turks were charged with complicity in the pope's shooting, but were later released in 1986 when the evidence collapsed. Agca's two trials failed to prove that he had links to Bulgarian agents or to the KGB and some theories even suggest that the Bulgarian charge was an attempt to discredit Soviet Bloc communists. Until today, some theorists still confirm the Bulgarians' role, while others now refute it. The big question, then, is who was behind the Bulgarians?
Agca's altered statements and self-portrayal as an unreliable source could be attributed to the death threats that he received. Attempted murder in Italy does not carry a long sentence, but because Agca tried to kill a head of state, the court imposed a life sentence. It is a matter of interest that Agca did not appeal his life sentence; a plausible explanation is that he wanted to stay safely behind bars.
Looking into Agca's background fails to shed much light on any possible collaborators. In Turkey Agca was a member of the ultra-right Grey Wolves. The Grey Wolves made headlines once again when a few years after the papal shooting they abducted Emanuela Orlandi, the 15-year-old daughter of a Vatican employee, in exchange for Agca's freedom. She was never heard of again.
Before coming to Europe, Agca was imprisoned while awaiting sentencing for the killing of Abdi Ipekei, a prominent left-wing columnist -- hence his extradition to serve the remainder of that earlier sentence. According to one theory, Agca received assistance to escape from jail in Turkey, a feat that is almost insurmountable without backing of some sort. Escaping to Europe, he lived for a few months in Switzerland, West Germany, Austria and Bulgaria before coming to Rome. He was apparently not without resources; someone must have lavished money on him. It was during this time that he made public his intention of killing the pope via a letter sent to a Turkish newspaper.
Another theory suggests that Agca had links with some Turkish counter-guerrilla organisations and that these same links would back him in Turkey and ensure his early release. Vatican analysts are careful to avoid condoning any one theory, but according to one source, if Agca does know more than he alleged to know during his period of incarceration in Italy, he won't be around for much longer.
It is unlikely that Agca's extradition will resolve the mystery. Upon his release, Agca thanked the Vatican and the pope for being instrumental in Italy's pardon. Apparently, the ex-terrorist was looking forward to going back home, even though he knew he would face tougher prison conditions. Upon his return to Turkey, Agca did not seem to be in a talkative mood, and he has already distanced himself from the earlier murder of Ipekei -- a move that has been facilitated by the disappearance of his alleged accomplice.
Interestingly, several years before the Holy See made it public, Agca had alluded to the so-called third secret of Fatima, a prophecy in which the Virgin Mary of Fatima appeared to three children in Portugal. Agca claimed he was part of the fulfilment of the prophecy, which is said to have foretold the assassination attempt and the pope's subsequent survival. Earlier this year, the pontiff went to Portugal and visited the shrine of Fatima. Whilst there, he revealed that he was saved by the intervention of the Virgin Mary of Fatima and thus confirmed the Fatima secret.
Pope John Paul II had met with his attacker in 1983 and no one knows exactly what transpired in their discussion. What we do know is that Agca kissed the pope's ring at the end of the meeting. Could Agca have told the pope the whole truth?
