Originally published at The Catholic Thing
Vatican and Iraqi security forces intercepted a suicide bomber during the first-ever papal visit to the country, the pontiff writes in his autobiography. British intelligence tipped off the Iraqi authorities, who in turn informed Vatican military police about a woman wearing explosives heading to Mosul intending to blow herself up during the papal visit. Later, the pope asked about what happened to the bomber or bombers. Francis writes, “The commander replied laconically, ‘They’re no longer here.’ Iraqi police had intercepted them and made them explode.”
