The Pope of Popes - Online Specials - Times Online

On the Pope:

You will have read much about the Pope's life, and his expected passing. The one thing that I read that struck me most came toward the end of this article from the London Times:

In an Istanbul prison cell, Mehmet Ali Agca, the Turkish extremist who tried to assassinate the Pope in 1981, was praying for his "brother", according to his lawyer. The two men have long since made their peace.

It's an interesting story, one I'd not looked into before. M. Ali Agca presents himself as a madman -- claiming, among other things, to be Jesus Himself returned to earth, and to know the time of the end of the world. However, he operated successfully as an international smuggler and assassin during the period before his arrest, changing passports and names with ease.

Whether his prayers for the Pope are sincere, and whether he is simply praying to himself, is not known. It is clear that he wishes to be seen as a friend of the Pope's, though what good that would do him in a Turkish prison is not clear. It seems to me to be a high compliment to the Pope, that his assassin should wish to profess his love.