Pope's Would-Be Assassin Wants To Be Polish
Mehmet Ali Agca, the man who shot Pope John Paul II in 1981, has applied for Polish citizenship. The Turkish assassin, who is now serving a second sentence for the murder of journalist Abdi Ipekci, will be up for parole in 2010.
Mr. Agca wants to complete his prison sentence in Poland, and has written a petition for citizenship to President Lech Kaczynski.
Famously, Pope John Paul visited his would-be killer in prison and forgave him. Since then, Mr. Agca has professed devotion to the former pontiff and cited him as a "spiritual brother."
Mr. Agca's motives for shooting the Pope are still unclear. The incident occurred in May 1981, two years into his papacy and at the peak of the Solidarity protest era. For these reasons many Poles and historians suspect Soviet involvement.
Regardless of motive, Mr. Agca's chances of become a Pole look uncertain. The Polish Foreign Ministry stated that the applicant had not displayed the "good service" that is considered a must to attain full citizenship.