Rome - In a recent book-interview titled "You are not alone. Challenges, responses, hopes," Pope Francis expressed concern over the West's attempts to impose its model of democracy on countries with different cultural norms, warning that such actions have led to anarchy and wars.

According to a new release by Burkina Information Agency, which quoted excerpts from the book, Pope Francis discussed the repercussions of Western countries imposing their own styles of governance, specifically in states that are sources of refugees. The pontiff described these attempts as "failures of the West" contributing to the rise of terrorist organizations such as the Islamic State.

Discussing the impact of colonization and the appropriation of natural resources, Pope Francis cited the example of Libya. "A Libyan told me that in the past there was only Gaddafi, but today there are 53 such leaders," he was quoted as saying by La Stampa. Pope Francis stated that the culture in some countries is more tribal, making it difficult for Western models of democracy to be successfully applied.

The Pope also touched upon the Gulf War, saying, "Saddam Hussein was certainly not an angel, quite the contrary, but Iraq under his leadership was a stable country." He clarified that he was not defending either Gaddafi or Hussein but questioned the outcomes of wars led by Western nations. "To an anarchy and a new war," he said, urging that it might be more fruitful to help a society mature democratically according to its own unique characteristics, rather than imposing external models.

Pope Francis further warned against the futility of imposing democracy on nations that may not be culturally equipped to accept it. "There are countries with monarchical systems that may never accept democracy," he said.

In his concluding remarks, the Pope asserted that he does not claim to understand international politics, but stated his belief that the rise of the Islamic State was partly a consequence of unfortunate decisions by Western countries. He also emphasized that Islam is inherently a "peaceful religion."