Portugal, Italy silent on Pope gunman’s visa demands

Portuguese and Italian authorities remained silent on the demand of the failed Turkish assassin of the late Pope John Paul II to visit the Fatima shrine and the Vatican, according to his lawyer.Mehmet Ali Agca wants to attend the Papal Mass at the...

Portuguese and Italian authorities remained silent on the demand of the failed Turkish assassin of the late Pope John Paul II to visit the Fatima shrine and the Vatican, according to his lawyer.Mehmet Ali Agca wants to attend the Papal Mass at the Portuguese town of Fatima and then visit the Vatican, his lawyer Haci Ali Ozhan said.

“Visa applications were made to the Italian and Portugese embassies in Ankara, but so far no response has been received,” Mr Ozhan said.

“Mehmet Ali Agca wants to go to Fatima on May 13 and visit the church and then attend the Vatican to pray at the tomb of John Paul II and lay flowers,” Mr Ozhan said.

The Vatican said in a letter that such a visit would be possible for Mr Agca, but Italian authorities have not commented on the visa application, the lawyer added. Fatima is a town in Portugal where three children are said to have seen apparitions of the Virgin Mary.

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