On May 13, 1981 Mehmet Ali Ağca shot Pope Paul II twice as he entered St Peters Square. Ago who was Turkish was sent by the Bulgarian intelligence services. the Pope was struck by four bullets but they were not life threatening and the Pope recovered. Ağca was quickly captured and eventually sentenced to life in prison. He was pardoned in 2000 at the request of the Pope, but spent additional years in a Turkish jail. It is widely believed that the Soviets were behind the assassination, fearing the Popes impact on Eastern Europe.
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