ANKARA, Turkey — The Turkish man who shot Pope John Paul II in 1981 was released from prison today after more than 29 years behind bars. He said in a statement issued by a lawyer he was a messenger of God and 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. Agca's hair was gray and he wore a blue sweat shirt.

He sat calmly between two plainclothes policemen in the backseat of a sedan that took him to a military hospital. There, doctors concluded he was unfit for compulsory military services because of "severe anti-social personality disorder," said his lawyer, Yilmaz Abosoglu.

Abosoglu said Agca was in good spirits and drinking tea while waiting for final procedures at the military hospital to be completed. He was expected to spend his first night outside prison at a hotel.

Agca shot John Paul on May 13, 1981, as the pope rode in an open car in St. Peter's Square. The pontiff was hit in the abdomen, left hand and right arm, but the bullets missed vital organs.

John Paul met with Agca in Italy's Rebibbia prison in 1983 and forgave him for the shooting.

Vatican spokesman Rev. Federico Lombardi said there were no plans to comment on the release.