Relax, you have plenty of time to enjoy yourself:

STORY:

ANKARA, Turkey – The Turk who shot Pope John Paul II in 1981 was released from prison on Monday after more than 29 years behind bars and proclaimed that he was a messenger of God and that the world will end in this century.

Mehmet Ali Agca, 52, waved to journalists as he left the prison in a convoy of several vehicles. Turkish authorities plan to monitor him closely because of long-standing questions about his mental health.

In the statement distributed by Abosoglu outside the prison in Sincan on the outskirts of Ankara, the Turkish capital, Agca declared: "I proclaim the end of the world. All the world will be destroyed in this century. Every human being will die in this century."

Upon his arrival at his hotel, he addressed reporters in English. He had traded his sweatshirt for a dark-blue suit and tie, apparently at the hospital.

"I will meet you in the next three days," Agca said. "In the name of God, almighty, I proclaim the end of the world in this century. All the world will be destroyed, every human being will die. I am not God, I am not son of God, I am Christ eternal."

He also said the Gospel was full of mistakes and he would write the perfect one.

"this century" is a pretty big time window, unlike other predictions of doom that are supposed to occur within a year or two. So this guy's proclamation, if true, is no cause for alarm - at least for people alive today.


posted by Quiddity at 1/18/2010 07:29:00 AM