Pope signals Scotland, Catalonia should take care on independence

Pope Francis waves after leading his weekly general audience at St. Peter's Square at the Vatican June 11, 2014. REUTERS/Giampiero Sposito

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis suggested on Friday that Scotland and Catalonia must think carefully about breaking away from their national unions, making a distinction between seeking independence in the pursuit of freedom versus secession.

In an interview published in Spain's La Vanguardia newspaper as Scots prepare to vote on whether to split from Britain and Catalonia's leader tries to organise a similar referendum, Francis said independence had to be treated with great care.