Italian Panel: Soviets Behind Pope Attack

AP/YAHOO ^ | 03-02-06 | VICTOR L. SIMPSON

[Vaquero]

Italian Panel: Soviets Behind Pope Attack

By VICTOR L. SIMPSON, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 31 minutes ago

ROME - An Italian parliamentary commission concluded "beyond any reasonable doubt" that the Soviet Union was behind the 1981 attempt to kill Pope John Paul II — a theory long alleged but never proved, according to a draft report made available Thursday. ADVERTISEMENT

The commission held that the pope was a danger to the Soviet bloc because of his support for the Solidarity labor movement in his native Poland. Solidarity was the first free trade union in communist eastern Europe.

"This commission believes, beyond any reasonable doubt, that the leaders of the Soviet Union took the initiative to eliminate the pope Karol Wojtyla," said a draft of the commission's report obtained by The Associated Press.

Wojtyla was John Paul's Polish name.

The draft has no bearing on any judicial investigations, which have long been closed.

The report also said a photograph shows that a Bulgarian man acquitted of involvement in the May 13, 1981, assassination attempt was in St. Peter's Square when the pontiff was shot by Mehmet Ali Agca.

The Bulgarian secret service allegedly was working for Soviet military intelligence, but the Italian court held that the evidence was insufficient to convict the Bulgarians in the plot.

Agca, a Turk, has changed his story often and investigators said it was never clear who he was working for. He initially blamed the Soviets.

Agca served 19 years in an Italian prison for shooting the pope and then 5 1/2 years in Turkey for murdering journalist Abdi Ipekci.

He was released from the Turkish prison Jan. 12 but returned days later when prosecutors said he must serve more of his 10-year term for killing Ipekci. He will be released in 2010.

The Italian commission was originally established to investigate any KGB penetration of Italy during the Cold War.

The commission president, Sen. Paolo Guzzanti, said he decided to investigate the 1981 shooting after John Paul said in his book "Memory and Identity: Conversations Between Millenniums" that "someone else planned it, someone else commissioned it." The book came out shortly before the pope's death last year.

Sergei Antonov, former Rome station manager of Bulgaria's state airline, claimed during his trial that he was in his office when John Paul was shot. Italy had accused him of complicity with Agca.

Antonov's lawyer, Giuseppe Consolo, said it was a case of mistaken identity and the man in the photograph came forward during the investigation as an American tourist of Hungarian origin. Consolo said the photo was not used as evidence in the trial.

The report must be approved by the full commission, which meets March 7.

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Pope John Paul II lies injured in his jeep in St. Peter's Square after being shot by Turkish gunman Mehmet Ali Agca in this May 1981 file photo. Leaders of the former Soviet Union were behind the assassination attempt against Pope John Paul II in 1981, an Italian parliamentary investigative commission said in a report. REUTERS/Vatican/Handout

[x5452]

The leaders of the "KGB infiltrated NCC/WCC":



Samuel Kobia - WCC General Secretary

Biographical Information

Born 20 March 1947 in Miathene, Meru, Kenya, Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia was elected general secretary of the World Council of Churches in August 2003, and took up his new post in January 2004. From 1999 to end-2002, he was the director of the WCC Cluster on “Issues and Themes”, and in 2003 served as director and special representative for Africa of the WCC. Dr Kobia is from Kenya, and is an ordained minister in the Methodist Church in Kenya.



NCC President Michael E. Livingston

Living the visible unity of the church

The President of the National Council of Churches USA (serving from Jan.1, 2006 to Dec. 31, 2007), has been a pastor, educator and church administrator for most of his adult life. What’s more, there is hardly an aspect of the ecumenical movement – local, national, international – that he hasn’t served.

“Early in my ministry I’ve been a pastor,” says the Rev. Michael E. Livingston. “I’ve held many other positions, but I’ve never left the ministry of the Gospel.”

Livingston was ordained in the Presbyterian Church (USA) on July 27, 1975 and he has been a member of the New Brunswick, N.J., Presbytery since 1985. He was pastor of Presbyterian churches in Los Angeles and New York until 1985 when he returned to his alma mater, Princeton Theological Seminary, as director of admissions and later as campus pastor and director of the chapel.

[Thunder90]

So, the socialist and anti-religous leanings of the WCC is OK???

[x5452]

The WCC/NCC is not KGB led, they are led by Socialist, and supported by the likes of the ACLU and Soros. The are anti-Christian swine, and liberal leftist ringleaders, but they are not KGB.

[Thunder90]

It was during the Soviet era, and it is now ran by a corsutum of Russian, Chinese, and EU intrests, all pulling their weight around.

[x5452]

The NCC is led by a prebysterian from New Jersey.

The WCC is led by Methodist from Kenya.

Neither are 'KGB', nor are they Russian. Russians are on the verge of leaving the WCC, and are one of the few folks in the WCC stopping it from becoming an all out anti-Christian hate fest.

[redgolum]

Russians are on the verge of leaving the WCC, and are one of the few folks in the WCC stopping it from becoming an all out anti-Christian hate fest.

Which is one of the reasons I have respect for the ROC. The KGB comment was in respect the situation in the Cold War where there were socialists with Soviet backing trying to turn the NCC into a socialist camp. "KGB" was a term that was thrown around a lot back then, but they may not have been actual members.

[sono]

Tom Clancy in Red Rabbit nailed it.

[x5452]

During the Soviet era I suspect in fact there were even KGB operatives in the WCC, and perhaps even the NCC. The situation is quite different today (at least the faces and nationalities are... its been progressively more socialist-athiest. Heck one of their leaders denied Mary was a virgin! I mean... wow.)

[jtal]

Wow, I'm holding my breath for Noam Chomsky to issue a retraction for his book "Manufacturing Consent", in which he uses the Soviet plot to kill the pope as an example of the Western media cooperating with untrue government propaganda.

[monkapotamus]

"I thought it was this guy...oh wait...he killed the pope before."

During my viewings of The Godfather, Part III, all indications are that he (Michael Corleone) wanted to save the Pope.

[Emmet Fitzhume]

Agreed.

Godfather III was horrible!!!

Blech!!!

[Airborne1986]

More breaking news .... Japanese responsible for 1941 Pearl Harbor attack.

[eleni121]

No one should be surprised that an islamic punk was supported by the Soviet commies...they do it all the time and in other places too.

http://www.saag.org/papers12/paper1107.html

[Thunder90]

BS. You know that Russia is anti-west.

[x5452]

I've been to Russia, they love the west, even our incessant 'hip hop' music.

[Thunder90]

Then why don't they dump Putin and put in a reformer who is more western????

[ConservativeMan55]

bttt

[spanalot]

"the Soviet Union took the initiative to eliminate the pope Karol Wojtyla,""

But Wojtyla and Reagan got their revenge:-)

[Romanov]

"Then why don't they dump Putin and put in a reformer who is more western????"

1. "Dumping" an elected president is called a coup (not a democractic action.
2. Name a "reformer" who is more "Western" in Russia.
3. Putin is term-limited, so this is his last term.
4. Any so-called reformers - the ones that are give accolades in the Western press are NOT America-friendly. They like France. Would you rather have that?

And back on topic. I highly recommend you pick up at copy of Mitrokhin's books about the KGB Archives. It's a fascinating read and will help you to get your anti-Russian posts a bit more accurate.. ;) Seriously, get a copy of it. The first book is more interesting than the second one, but both are great reads. What's sad is this guy actually approached the US first, but some idiot at the US Embassy in Latvia punted, so he turned to the Brits.