Would you forgive your own would-be killer?

Last night, an Italian news channel aired a recent interview with Mehmet Ali Agca, the man who attempted to assassinate Pope John Paul II in 1981. Some reports said that after the shooting, John Paul II asked the people to “…pray for my brother (Agca), whom I have sincerely forgiven.” In the video interview, Mehmet emotionally described the pope’s visit to his prison cell in 1983. They talked for a long time, he said, and the pope’s words changed the course of his life. The pope said to him, “Ti ho perdonato sinceramente” (I have sincerely forgiven you).” Mehmet served almost 20 years for the assassination attempt and was later extradited to Turkey, his country of origin, and continues to remain in jail for other crimes.

I don’t know how many people can forgive their would-be killers or at least visit them in jail. Forgiveness is the most beautiful form of love. To be Christian is to be forgiving. And for a true follower of Christ, forgiveness is not merely an occasional act, but a permanent attitude. The pope has shown us exactly that – that forgiveness is the giving of love which frees another person to become aware that he does not have to be a victim of his past and can become a better person.