During his historic trip to Iraq, Pope Francis disclosed that he almost met his demise.

The assassination plot that foiled Pope Francis's first-ever visit to Iraq has allowed him to reflect on the event in retrospect.

In his autobiography, he wrote that almost everyone advised him against the 2021 trip to Mosul, Iraq, where a tip from British intelligence led to two threats being alerted to the Vatican military police.

According to Politico, a suicide bomber with explosives was heading towards the city with the intention of detonating herself, while the pope stated that a van filled with explosives was also heading towards the same area with the same objective.

Although there was a risk, the visit proceeded, with Francis determined to explore the region's religious and historical significance and interact with the local Christian community.

At the time, Mina Al-Oraibi, editor-in-chief of The National newspaper in Abu Dhabi, wrote that Francis had planned a 4-day trip to strengthen the significance of Christians in Iraq and the Arab world.

In 2014, the Islamic State group captured Mosul, but Iraqi forces expelled the extremists three years later, leaving much of the city, including its centuries-old Catholic churches, in ruins, Politico reported.

When Pope Francis learned that the bomb threats had been neutralized, he asked his security detail about their status.

He wrote, reflecting on the moment, "The commander replied laconically, 'They're no longer here. Iraqi police had intercepted them and made them explode.'"

The Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera published excerpts from the autobiography titled "Hope" on Tuesday, which is set to be released next month.