In his autobiography to be published in January, the pope reveals during his 2021 trip to Iraq, the authorities intercepted two possible attacks.
One was a young female suicide bomber who wanted to blow herself up during Pope Francis' visit to Mosul. The second was a van loaded with explosives. The pontiff reveals in this autobiography that the British secret services informed the Vatican security of these attempted attacks.
The Iraqi police intercepted them and, as Pope Francis recalls, everything suggests that they took them down.
The trip to Iraq was very important for Pope Francis, who described it as ‘emblematic’.
POPE FRANCIS
I am happy to resume travelling, and this is an emblematic journey. It is also a duty to a land that has been tormented for so many years.
The pope wanted to visit the country for two reasons: it would be an opportunity to strengthen ties with Shia Islam and to show his closeness to Christians who had suffered persecution from ISIS, or Islamic State.
SR
