During his recent visit to Armenia, Pope Francis spoke of the need for Christians to be active peacemakers in the midst of conflict. Peacemaking, he said, requires reconciliation, and an effort to “heal memories and bind up past wounds”.

On the flight back to Rome, a journalist asked him whether the Church owed LGBT people an apology, especially in light of the recent terrorist attack at the Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, where 49 were killed and 53 injured. In response, Francis said: “I repeat what the Catechism of the Catholic Church says: that they must not be discriminated against, that they must be respected and accompanied pastorally.” He also said that Christians should apologise to other marginalised groups: the poor, exploited women and children, divorced families.