Catch and Release Program (aka… er… agca The “Bird Flew” in Turkey)

There is a different sort of “Bird Flu”, or rather, “Bird Flew” in Turkey these days.

I read with amazment today in the Italian Daily Il Messaggero that the would-be assassin of John Paul II and long time Turkish jail-bird Mehmet Ali Agca will probably be released soon.

The Holy See was, as usual, not terrible forthcoming on the matter:

DECLARATION ON POSSIBLE RELEASE FROM PRISON OF ALI AGCA

VATICAN CITY, JAN 8, 2006 (VIS) – This afternoon, Holy See Press Office Director Joaquin Navarro-Valls released the following declaration to journalists:

“The Holy See only learned the news of a possible release from prison of Ali Agca from news agencies.

“The Holy See, faced with such a juridical question, confides in the decisions of the courts involved in this matter.”

In English, try Phil Pullela’s story from Reuters.