On March 13, Pope John Paul asked Italy's President...

On March 13, Pope John Paul asked Italy's President to show clemency towards Mehmet Ali Agca, the Turkish gunman who shot and nearly killed the Pontiff in 1981. The Vatican did not confirm or deny the report, which said the Pope had made the plea in a letter. The Pope has already forgiven Agca, who is serving a life sentence in a central Italian jail. Agca, whom the Pope once visited in jail, has several times asked for presidential clemency so he can return home. If the President were to show clemency towards Agca, the Turk could be extradited to his native land only if Ankara gave assurances that he would not be executed. Agca, a former member of the Grey Wolves right-wing group, is wanted in Turkey for the killing of Turkish journalist Abdi Ipekci in 1978. In 1998, Agca agreed to be extradited eventually to his homeland.