Pope Francis announced that a double terrorist attack was planned against him.

Pope Francis reported that he was nearly killed during his trip to Iraq in 2021. He shared this story in his upcoming autobiography Spera, fragments of which were published by the newspaper Corriere della Sera. According to the pontiff, he was advised not to go to Iraq due to the COVID-19 pandemic, especially to Mosul, which he planned to visit. However, Francis decided to continue his trip. Upon arriving in Baghdad, he learned that British intelligence had received information about planned terrorist attacks in Iraq. One of the suicide bombers was a woman who was set to detonate herself during the papal visit to Mosul. The suicide bombers were apprehended by the Iraqi police and forced to detonate themselves. Pope Francis described this incident as 'the poisonous fruit of war.'

Despite these circumstances, Francis continued his visit to six cities in Iraq and referred to himself as a 'pilgrim of peace.' He was guarded by 10,000 Iraqi police officers, and the country even imposed a curfew due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In Corsica, Pope Francis prayed for peace not only for Ukrainians but also for Russians. He urged them to find understanding and end the conflict, declaring that war is always a defeat and wishing peace to the whole world.

Pope Francis also received a new electric G-Class convertible from the CEO of Mercedes-Benz.