Pope expresses concern over Scotland independence

Pope Francis has expressed concern about independence movements including Scotland’s, telling an interview with a Catalonian newspaper that “all division” worried him.

The cross-party Better Together campaign against Scottish independence welcomed the Roman Catholic pontiff’s comments as an “interesting and welcome intervention”. They follow expressions of support for the union from US President Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, his former secretary of state.

In an interview with the La Vanguardia newspaper, Pope Francis distinguished between “independence by emancipation” – such as in countries in the Americas that broke free of European states – and “independence by secession”, which he called “dismemberment”.

“Let's think of the former Yugoslavia. Obviously, there are nations with cultures so different that couldn't even be stuck together with glue,” the Pope said, according to the Press Association.

“The Yugoslavian case is very clear, but I ask myself if it is so clear in other cases – Scotland, [the northern state of Padania in northern Italy], Catalonia,” he said.

“There will be some cases that are just and some that are unjust, but the secession of a nation that hasn’t been previously forced together is an issue that must be taken up with tweezers.”

More than 840,000 people in Scotland identify themselves as Catholics.

Some in the Catholic community, which accounts for about 16 per cent of the population and which has, in some areas of Scotland, historically suffered serious discrimination, have expressed worry about the implications of devolution and independence.

However, the Scottish National party under first minister Alex Salmond, has made high-profile stands against sectarianism and opinion surveys suggest that Catholics are at least as likely as the general population to support a Yes vote in September’s independence referendum.

The Pope’s comments follow a more direct intervention by Mrs Clinton, former US secretary of state and first lady. She told the BBC she would “hate to have you lose Scotland”.

Responding to Mrs Clinton’s remarks, Mr Salmond said Scotland was “not a property to be lost but a nation about to take a precious and consensual and democratic decision”.

“An independent Scotland will be a friend and ally to our neighbours in the rest of the UK as well as to our friends in the [US],” the first minister said.