Soviet Union ordered Pope shooting: Italy commission

[seriousstan]

ROME (Reuters) - 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.

A final draft of the report, which is due to be presented to parliament later this month, was made available to Reuters on Thursday by the commission president, Senator Paolo Guzzanti.

"This commission believes, beyond any reasonable doubt, that the leadership of the Soviet Union took the initiative to eliminate Pope John Paul," the report said.

"They relayed this decision to the military secret services for them to take on all necessary operations to commit a crime of unique gravity, without parallel in modern times," it said.

http://today.reuters.com/news/newsarticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyid=2006-03-02T135017Z_01_L02207710_RTRUKOC_0_US-POPE-ASSASSINATION.xml&rpc=22

[genie_weenie]

1. Looks like the CIA was right all along

Despite what Gordon Thomas claimed in Gideon's Spies which stated the CIA claimed Mehmet Ali Agca had been hired by the Bulgarian secret service following instructions from the Kremlin. But, Mossad in an attempt to curry favor with a Vatican not favorably disposed to Israel produced "evidence" the assassination had been prepared in Tehran with the full approval of Ayatollah Khomeini.

Soon after learning this, the pope visited a Jewish synagogue in Rome, a first for a Catholic pontiff, and relations with Israel improved. The Mossad had scored a coup, neatly discrediting both the CIA and Islam.

[Psephos]

2. Not hard to believe after reading The Gulag Archipelago n/t

[xchrom]

3. i don't think that john paul

is completely off the hook either -- we'll see if anything that links him ever comes out.

[AngryAmish]

4. What do you mean?

He tried to shoot himself?

[Frank Cannon]

7. Do you mean John Paul I?

The pope that died before John Paul II was selected?

Maybe you're thinking of the French actor Jean-Paul Belmondo. Now THERE'S a shady character.

[xchrom]

8. my bad bad -- you're right

i got my john pauls mixed up!

[daleo]

5. the commission "believes beyond any reasonable doubt"

This is loaded language meant to convey something stronger than they actually have - the usual phrase is "has proven beyond any reasonable doubt".

Anyone can believe anything beyond a reasonable doubt - just look at the plethora of churches, mosques, synagogues, temples, etc. on the planet. The expression describes a state of mind rather than a state of evidence.

[Barrett808]

6. So, no mention of the P2 Lodge? n/t