Pope Francis has revealed he was targeted by suicide bombers during a visit to Iraq, but was saved when British intelligence tipped off local police who killed the bombers before they could strike.
The attacks were planned in 2021 during his visit to Mosul, where Iraqi Christians had been persecuted during the town’s occupation by Islamic State fighters between 2014 and 2017. Francis said he was told of the planned attacks as soon as he flew into Iraq to start his visit in March that year.
