Pope Francis has shared how he narrowly avoided a double suicide bombing during his visit to Iraq in March 2021.

The attempts on his life were thwarted by British intelligence and Iraqi police, who had been informed of the planned bombings as soon as Francis arrived in Baghdad.

Francis shared this revelation in his upcoming autobiography, Spera (Hope), excerpts of which were published on his 88th birthday, which was shared with Corriere della Sera on Tuesday, according to The Guardian.

Despite being strongly advised against making the trip due to high security risks and the COVID-19 pandemic, Francis was determined to proceed with the visit.

The Pope’s visit to Iraq was historic, marking the first time a pope had visited the country. During his trip, Francis met with Iraqi leaders, visited holy sites, and held masses, including one in Mosul, a city devastated by Islamic State militants.

The pontiff described how one of the suicide bombers was a woman who was heading towards Mosul to blow herself up during the papal visit. A truck was also “heading there fast with the same intention”.

In the book, written with the Italian author Carlo Musso and due to be published in January, Francis said he later asked Vatican security what had become of the suicide bombers.

“The commander replied laconically: ‘They’re no longer here,’” Francis wrote. “Iraqi police had intercepted them and made them explode. This struck me as well: Even this is the poisonous fruit of war.”

Francis persevered with the three-day trip to six Iraqi cities, saying at the time that he was travelling as “a pilgrim of peace”.

Between 2014 and 2017, the Islamic State’s reign of terror resulted in the brutal killings of thousands of Christians in northern regions, with hundreds of thousands more forced to flee their homes due to relentless violence and persecution.