Turkish authorities have removed Mehmet Ali Ağca — the man who shot Pope John Paul II in 1981 — from the town of Iznik ahead of the upcoming visit by Pope Leo XIV, as part of heightened security measures around the trip.
Ağca, who was serving in Iznik and had told local media he hoped for a brief “two or three-minute” meeting with the pope, was reportedly escorted out on the evening prior to Leo’s arrival, according to Turkish news outlet Halk TV.
In 1981, Ağca fired several shots at Pope John Paul II in St. Peter’s Square, seriously wounding him. He was later sentenced to life in prison in Italy and served additional time in Turkey before being released.
The removal underscores the extra vigilance by Turkish security services ahead of the pontiff’s trip, which aims to commemorate the 1,700-year anniversary of the Council of Nicaea — a landmark event for global Christianity.
With tight security and the exclusion of Ağca, authorities appear determined to avert any risk or symbolic confrontation while Pope Leo visits Iznik and Istanbul.
