The day Pope John Paul II forgave the man who shot him
In 1981, Mehmet Ali Ağca shot Pope John Paul II and nearly killed him. Two years later, the Pope visited his would-be assassin in prison and forgave him face to face.
In 1981, Mehmet Ali Ağca shot Pope John Paul II. The bullet nearly killed him, but John Paul II survived.
A prison visit
Two years later, the Pope visited Ağca in prison. The encounter was remarkable for what it revealed about both men. Ağca asked the Pope a haunting question: why didn't you die? My aim was true.
An act of forgiveness
Then John Paul II forgave the man who shot him. He forgave him face to face, in a moment that would resonate far beyond the prison walls.
Mercy changed the story forever. What could have been simply a tale of violence and survival became something else entirely, a demonstration of forgiveness that challenged conventional notions of justice and revenge. The Pope's decision to meet his attacker in person, to look him in the eye and offer forgiveness, transformed the narrative from one of victimhood to one of grace.
