The target was suicide bomber in Iraq, Pope Francis’ big revelation on his birthday, how did the British intelligence agency save him?

Pope Francis turns 88 on December 17. On this occasion he made such revelations which he rarely made. According to his upcoming autobiography, suicide attackers planned to attack him during his 2021 visit to Iraq, but he was killed before the attack could take place. Italian daily Corriere Della Sera has published excerpts from “Hope: The Autobiography” written by Italian author Carlo Musso. It is being released in more than 80 countries next month. The New York Times published other excerpts on Tuesday, on what would have been Francis’s 88th birthday.

In Italian excerpts, Francis recalled his historic March 2021 visit to Iraq, the first by a Pope. COVID-19 was still raging and security concerns were high, especially in Mosul. The devastated northern city was the headquarters of Islamic State militants, whose terrifying reign has largely emptied the region of Christian communities. According to the book, as soon as Francis arrived in Baghdad, British intelligence informed Iraqi police that a woman wearing explosives was headed towards Mosul and planned to blow herself up during the Pope’s visit.

In the book, Francis says, “a truck was speeding there with the same intention.” Despite tight security, the trip went ahead as planned and became the most poignant of all Francis’ foreign trips: in the ruins of a Mosul church. Standing, Francis urged Iraq’s Christians to forgive the injustices committed against them by Muslim extremists and to rebuild. In the book, Francis said he later asked his Vatican security detail what happened to the suicide bombers. Francis explains that the commander replied briefly that they were no longer here. ‘The Iraqi police had stopped them and detonated them.