Mehmet Ali Agca, the Turkish man who attempted but failed to take the life of Pope John Paul II on May 13, 1981, has gone full circle on Saturday when he laid white roses on the tomb of the deceased pontiff.

December 27, 2014 marks the 31^st anniversary when Pope John Paul II first visited the Turkish gunman in jail and forgave him for trying to kill the leader of the Roman Catholic Church, reports BBC.

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Agca appears to have become a converted man, surely triggered by the forgiveness of the Holy Father, because he was quoted by Huffingtonpost, based on a film by an Italian journalist who filmed his tomb visit, as saying "A thousand thanks, saint" and "Long live Jesus Christ."

The Turkish gunman, now 56, was imprisoned for 19 years for the failed attempt on the pope's life, although the pontiff was seriously injured since the bullet passed through his abdomen and almost his heart. Agca spent another 10 years in Turkish jail for a previous murder of a newspaper editor.

Although Agca is not banned from visiting Vatican, the Holy See turned down his request to have a face-to-face meeting with Pope Francis. Rev. Federico Lombardi, Vatican spokesman, was quoted as saying, "He has put flowers on the tomb of John Paul II, I think that is enough."

While Agca's motive for the assassination attempt on the pope is still a mystery, and he is known to have acted alone, the Turkish gunman hinted that the try had Bulgaria and Soviet secret services as the brains because the pope, a Polish, pushed for the Polish solidarity labor movement which alarmed Soviet officials.

He was known to have provided contradictory statements and then claimed "to be a Messiah."

Tagsmehmet ali agca, Vatican, pope john paul II