Despite the region’s relevance to Christianity, the pontiff’s Iraq trip from March 5 to March 8, 2021, was considered risky because of the persisting COVID-19 pandemic and instances of violence throughout the battle-scarred country. “Almost everyone advised me against that trip,” Francis reportedly wrote in “Hope.”

Two attempted attacks on Pope Francis, including one by a suicide bomber, were foiled during his landmark trip to Iraq in 2021, the pontiff has revealed in an autobiography.

In an excerpt from his forthcoming autobiography, Francis said two suicide bombers had been planning to attack one of his events in Mosul.

Pope Francis revealed an attempt on his life was foiled during his historic trip to Iraq, according to reports, reflecting on the event in his upcoming memoir.

According to the pope's autobiography, British intelligence informed Iraqi police that a woman wearing explosives was planning to blow herself up during his visit.

According to Pope Francis, a bid to kill him during a 2021 visit to Iraq was foiled following a tip from British intelligence.

In his upcoming autobiography, the pontiff said that two suicide bombers were killed by Iraqi police before they could carry out their planned attacks.View on euronews

In a new autobiography, Pope Francis revealed that he escaped two assassination attempts during his visit to Iraq in March 2021, including one involving a young woman who was believed to be attempting a suicide bombing.

Pope Francis assassination plot in Iraq foiled after British intelligence tip-off - Two suicide bombers had planned to target Pontiff on 2021 visit to Iraq

A woman packed with explosives...was heading to Mosul to blow herself up,' pontiff recalls in upcoming autobiography; would-be bombers apparently killed by police, Francis says

Pope Francis has revealed he was the target of an attempted suicide bombing during his visit to Iraq three years ago, the first by a Catholic pontiff to the country and probably the riskiest foreign trip of his 11-year papacy.

The first-ever Iraq visit by a pope could've ended disastrously, but a foiled assassination plot has enabled Pope Francis to write about the event in retrospect. "Almost everyone advised me ...