Pope Francis has disclosed that British intelligence foiled a planned suicide bombing during his 2021 visit to Iraq, saving his life. The Pope was targeted by bombers while visiting Mosul, a city once occupied by Islamic State (ISIS) fighters, and known for its persecution of Iraqi Christians.
According to an excerpt from his upcoming autobiography Hope, published by Corriere della Sera, the Pope was informed of the planned attacks as soon as he arrived in Iraq. “The police told the Vatican gendarmes about information supplied by British intelligence: A woman carrying explosives, a young suicide bomber, was heading to Mosul to blow herself up during the papal visit,” he recalled. “A truck was also on its way at top speed with the same intent.”
Thanks to British intelligence, local Iraqi police were able to intercept and eliminate the bombers before they could carry out the attacks. “The Iraqi police had intercepted them and blown them up,” Francis wrote, recalling a conversation with his security team the day after the visit.
Despite the grave security threat, Pope Francis proceeded with his visit, including a tour of the devastated city of Mosul, which was heavily damaged during the 2017 battle to oust ISIS. There, the Pope spoke of “fraternity” as being stronger than “fratricide,” referring to the destructive ideologies of ISIS.
In his autobiography, Francis also reflected on the significant risks involved in the visit, mentioning that “almost everyone” had tried to dissuade him due to both the security risks and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in Iraq. However, he felt compelled to make the journey, especially after learning that his predecessor, Pope John Paul II, had been unable to visit Iraq in 2000 due to Saddam Hussein’s regime.
Pope Francis’s visit came at a time when Iraq’s Christian community had dwindled from over a million to approximately 300,000, largely due to emigration caused by years of violence. Despite ISIS’s reduced presence, the city of Mosul remains a dangerous place for Christians, according to British Catholic priest Benedict Kiely, who has worked in the country.
The Pope’s autobiography Hope was originally planned for release after his death but will now be published in January 2025, coinciding with the Catholic Year of Jubilee.
