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Forty-one years ago on May 13, 1981, thousands of people gathered in St. Peter’s Square in Rome to see Pope John Paul II but no one had predicted what would happen next.
Vatican officials were concerned about the Pope’s safety from his frequent public appearances among excited crowds around the world.
And that afternoon their fears came true.
He was shot at close range with four bullets as he greeted worshipers in Rome.
The joy quickly turned to horror for the 20,000 believers gathered, as the Pope was hit twice in the chest, one bullet hit in the right arm and one in the arm from about 5 feet away.
His ‘Popemobile’ vehicle left quickly inside the Vatican compound from where the Pope was taken to hospital.
After several hours of surgery and the prayers of millions of believers, the Pope miraculously managed to recover.
But the shocking things did not end here as the Pope declares that he forgives his attacker, as the best of the Christian tradition teaches.
Mehmet Ali Hagca, a Turkish citizen escaped from prison in 1979, was named as the perpetrator of the assassination attempt.
Sitting in St. Peter’s Square he waited for the car where the Pope was standing in the open rear and as soon as he found the opportunity Ağca pulled out his 9mm Browning pistol and ori sign to the high priest.
Surrounded by his security guards the Pope immediately lost the color of his face and fell into the arms of the helpers, amid the ringing of bells and the screams of the faithful.
The injured high priest was rushed to Agostino Gemelli Hospital.
But after his recovery, the Pope visited the then 23-year-old attacker in prison, who was pardoned by the Italian president in 2000 with the Pope’s approval.
After recovering from the bullets the Pope went on to visit 50 countries in the first decade of his term.
Mehmet Ali Hagca was sentenced to life in prison in 1981 for the assassination but after pardon in 2000, he was re-arrested and served the sentence for the 1979 murder of a journalist.
Former Polish Cardinal Karol Wojtyla Pope John Paul II was appointed head of the church in 1978 – the first non-Italian pope in 455 years.
He died on April 2, 2005, after an operation for throat problems.
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