In an outburst in a Turkish court, the gunman who shot Pope John Paul II accused the Vatican on Monday of being the "enemy of God and humanity" and said he had launched "a cultural war" against the Holy See, reported The Associated Press.
Mehmet Ali Agca went on trial in Istanbul for the armed robbery of a soda factory, the theft of a car he used to escape the scene and the robbery of a jewelry store, all in 1979, said the agency.
Italy pardoned Agca and extradited him to Turkey in mid-June after he had served almost 20 years for the 1981 shooting of the pope.
The Vatican had been instrumental in Agca's pardon. At that time, the gunman had was quoted as saying through a lawyer that he was grateful to the pope and the Vatican.
As he was being led out of court, Agca shouted, "The Vatican is the enemy of God, it is the enemy of humanity!"
"I will make the Vatican empire -- the enemy of humanity -- feel remorse," he said. "I have launched a cultural war against the Vatican."
Later, Agca's lawyer distributed a handwritten statement from the Turk accusing the Vatican of "changing" the secrets of Fatima and of orchestrating the 1981 assassination attempt against the pope.
"My Catholic brothers, I love you, why do you not abandon a Vatican which arranges the assassination of its own pope?" the statement said. The gunman wanted to read out the statement in court but the judge would not allow him to do so.
Vatican spokesmen were not available for comment, said the agency.
Last month the Vatican published the text of the "third secret" of Fatima, what the Virgin Mary is said to have told three shepherd children in Fatima in 1917. The Vatican said it foretold the shooting of the pope.
Agca who is serving a 10-year prison term in Turkey for killing a liberal newspaper editor, rejected accusations he was involved in the 1979 robberies, according to the AP report.
The court said Monday it had obtained Italy's permission to also try Agca for the jewelry store robbery and decided to combine the cases. Agca risks 15 years in prison on the charges.
The court adjourned the hearing until Aug. 9 to give Agca time to prepare a defense, said the agency.
Agca, who had escaped from a Turkish prison in 1979, was brought to court under heavy security. Sharpshooters stood watch from rooftops, and armored personnel carriers patrolled the streets hours before Agca was due to appear, the AP said – Albawaba.com
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