A papal visit to Ireland could be on the cards after Taoiseach Enda
Kenny confirmed he has been invited to attend the World Meeting of
Families.The World Meeting of Families 2018 will be held in Dublin but events will also take place in other centres around Ireland.
Mr Kenny said: “He [archbishop Martin] confirmed to me that the bishops have invited Pope Francis to come to Ireland for the World Meeting of Families in August of 2018.
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“If the Pope decides to accept the invitation I assured him that the
Government would respond appropriately, would approve of that and would
welcome Pope Francis and would make all the arrangements to treat him in
a proper and respectful manner as befits his position as head of the
Catholic Church.“It’s a matter for the Pope himself to decide if he wishes to accept the invitation,” Mr Kenny said.
“It’s a very different situation than applied in 1979 and he is a very different kind of man. If he decides to accept, the Government will respond appropriately.
A spokesperson from the Dublin diocese confirmed that the invitation had been extended and that Pope Francis was giving it “careful consideration”.
“In January on behalf of the Irish bishops, archbishop Eamon Martin of Armagh and archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin, jointly invited Pope Francis “to visit Ireland for the World Meeting of Families in 2018”.