Pope Francis has blamed Western military interventions for the rise of the Islamic State terror group and for the distabilising of Libya and the ensuing migration crisis in the Mediterranean.
In an interview for a new book, the Holy Father said the invasion of Iraq and support for jihadi groups in the so-called “Arab Spring” had created more problems than they have solved.
The British and French support for jihadi groups in the Libyan civil war of 2011, which led to the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi, had particularly disastrous consequences, the Pope said.
The instability that followed the conflict has since allowed warlords to traffic weapons to jihadis attacking Christians in the Sahel region of sub-Saharan Africa and criminal gangs to traffic vast numbers of migrants across the Mediterranean, tens of thousands of whom have drowned during attempted crossings.
The Pope also said that the invasion of Iraq by an American-led coalition in 2003 directly led to the rise of the Islamic State (ISIS) in Iraq neighbouring Syria a decade later.
Francis said the West was misguided in their policies to “import its own type of democracy” into countries with a political culture “similar to” tribal.
“Let’s think about Libya,” said the Pope. “A Libyan told me that they once only had one Gaddafi, but now they have 53.”
Francis then described the invasion of Iraq as a “true disgrace” and “not to say one of the worst cruelties”.
Pope Francis said: “Saddam Hussein was certainly no angel, on the contrary, but Iraq was a fairly stable country.”
I am not defending Gaddafi or Hussein,” the Pope reminded. “But what did the war leave behind? Organised anarchy and more war.”
He continued: “Therefore I believe that we must not export our democracy to other countries.
“Don’t go to war to import a democracy that people are unable to assimilate.
“There are countries that have a monarchical system that will probably never accept a democracy, but we can certainly contribute to ensuring that there is greater participation.”
Pope Francis added: “In any case, I consider myself ignorant when it comes to international politics, but I believe that the appearance of ISIS is based on an unfortunate Western choice.”
ISIS was the western branch of Al-Qaeda until its breakaway two years after the US withdrawal from the region in 2011.
The terrorist group invaded northern Iraq in 2014, displacing hundreds of thousands of Christians as refugees, but were defeated five years later by Iraqi forces with Western military help.
The remarks of Pope Francis were made to journalists Francesca Ambrogetti and Sergio Rubin for their forthcoming book You Are Not Alone: Challenges, Answers, Hopes, and were reproduced in La Stampa, the Italian newspaper.
The pair previously co-wrote the 2014 book Pope Francis: His Life in His Own Words.
(Rebel fighters cover the body of a Libyan killed in a coalition air strike/ CNS photo/Youssef Boudlal, Reuters)
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