ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - In his forthcoming autobiography, Head of the Catholic Church Pope Francis reveals two attempts were made on his life during his historic visit to Iraq and the Kurdistan Region in 2021.

In a historic three-day trip in March 2021, Pope Francis visited several cities across Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, holding mass for nearly 10,000 people at Erbil’s Franso Hariri Stadium.

According to excerpts released from his new autobiography, Hope, which goes on sale in January, the pontiff reveals he was the target of an attempted suicide bombing during his visit to the city of Mosul, and discloses escaping another attempt on his life as well. The Vatican security were tipped off about the attempts by the British secret services.

"A woman packed with explosives, a young suicide bomber, was heading towards Mosul to blow herself up during the papal visit," read an excerpt published by the Italian daily Corriere della Sera daily.

"And a van had also set off at great speed with the same intention," the Pope added. It is unclear whether the second attempt also occurred during his visit to Mosul.

Iraqi security forces were able to thwart the attempts and killed both attackers.

The Pope’s visit to war-torn Iraq is arguably his riskiest trip during his 11 years as head of the Catholic Church. The pontiff’s visit to Mosul was a key part of his trip, as he visited the ruins of four churches which were destroyed during the Islamic State’s (ISIS) rule of the city.