ROME -- In an interview with Pope Francis on board the papal jet on his return from Armenia on Sunday he spoke out against the actions in Orlando, his views on the recent Brexit, and the Armenian genocide.

 Of the attack in a gay nightclub in Orlando on June 12, the pontiff spoke of the responsibility held by Christians across the world.  He said, “I believe that the Church must not only apologise to the gay community, but must also ask for forgiveness from the poor, from women who have been raped, from children exploited for work, we must ask pardon for having blessed many weapons.  Christians need to ask for forgiveness for having accompanied so many mistaken and wrong choices.”

 He was then asked whether he believed that Brexit could lead to European disintegration and to war, to which he responded, “There is already war in Europe.  One can feel the air of division.  Not just in the Union but within countries as with Catalonia and Scotland.  I’m not saying that these divisions are dangerous, but we need to study them well before we can take a step forward.”

 He continued, “We need to find practical solutions.  There are divisions based on independence that are for cutting loose, such as happened in the past in Latin America or in Africa.  Breaking away is understandable.  It’s different in the case of secessionist motivation, at which point I’m thinking of Scotland.  Balkanisation comes to mind.  For me unity is superior to conflict.  Brotherhood is better than hostility. Bridges are better than walls.  In this moment we must reflect.  Europe needs to once again find the power that she had in her roots.”

 “Even a healthy disunity can be helpful in making one think whether you give more independence and freedom to member states, or to think about another form of union, altogether: being creative to create jobs, because there’s currently an economy that blocks young people – with 40 percent of them unemployed.  In the end, we mustn’t throw the baby out with the bathwater,” finished the pope.

 On other matters, the pope talked of his recent trip to Armenia and his hope for the future, with encouragement of forgiveness between Turkey and Armenia, as well as Azerbaijan, after he recognised the genocide that had occurred, making a bold political statement.  He ended on his accusation towards international powers, asking, “Why is nobody speaking of this?”

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