Pope Francis reveals a secret about his visit to Iraq: I was almost killed by a suicide bombing
Pope Francis reveals a secret about his visit to Iraq: I was almost killed by a suicide bombing
2024-12-17 05:22
Shafaq News/ An Italian report revealed, on Tuesday, that Pope Francis was subjected to an assassination attempt during his historic visit to Iraq in March 2021.
According to excerpts published in Italian by the Corriere della Sera newspaper, suicide bombers planned to assassinate the Pope during his visit, but were killed before the attack could be carried out.
According to the newspaper, the book, titled “Hope: The Autobiography,” was written by Pope Francis in collaboration with Italian author Carlo Musso, and will be published in more than 80 countries in January 2025.
The Pope spoke about his trip to Iraq, when the specter of Covid-19 was still looming over the country, in addition to the high security risks due to the ongoing clashes from time to time between Iraqi forces and the remnants of ISIS, in addition to the anxiety and fears that controlled the Christian and Yazidi minorities who suffered from the consequences of extremism, terrorism and the practices of armed militias loyal to Iran in Nineveh Governorate in northern Iraq.
Also, his visit represented great hope for Christians and other sects in Iraq, and a great symbolism for his role in urging tolerance, spreading peace, and preserving civil peace in a country torn apart by sectarianism and suffering from the repercussions of terrorism and wars, to the point that many Christians saw the Pope’s presence in Iraq as a symbol of security.
lady and truck
According to the book, British intelligence informed Iraqi police as soon as Pope Francis arrived in Baghdad that a woman carrying explosives was on her way to Mosul, the city the pope was visiting and which was a stronghold of ISIS.
This woman intended to blow herself up during the papal visit, and not just her, as there was a truck heading towards the site of his visit in Mosul, northern Iraq, for the same purpose.
But the visit program went ahead as planned, under tight security measures.
Pope Francis says in the book that he later asked Vatican security to tell him the details of what happened to the suicide bombers. The commander responded “succinctly” that “they are no longer there.”
The Pope explains that the Iraqi police “intercepted them and blew them up,” expressing his position in the book, “This matter shocked me too… even this is the poisonous fruit of war.”
The book, which was originally scheduled to be published after the pope’s death, is being released at the start of the Vatican’s Great Holy Year, which Pope Francis will officially inaugurate on Christmas Eve.
shafaq.com
