Meanwhile, Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness of
Sinn Féin said he was in no doubt the pope would cross the Border
during his trip.
Ms Foster’s spokesman said “any potential visit to
Northern Ireland by the pope is a matter for the foreign and
commonwealth office in London”.
“Were the pope to visit Northern Ireland in his capacity as head of state, then the First Minister would meet him,” he said.
Ahead of Pope John Paul II’s visit to Ireland in 1979
there was great speculation that he would visit the North, but
paramilitary violence and political tensions ruled out the chance of the
pontiff crossing the Border.
Speaking in Belfast in the wake of the visit
announcement, Mr McGuinness said he believed there was “no prospect of
the pope coming to Ireland and not coming to the north of Ireland”.
Rev Trevor Gribben, clerk of the general assembly and
general secretary of the Presbyterian church in Ireland, said “while
the Vatican have yet to confirm the visit, should Pope Francis come to
Ireland, as with any visitor to these shores, he would be most welcome”.
Very excited
“I am sure that many, many Roman Catholics both south and north of the Border will be very excited and encouraged by the news that Pope Francis is likely to attend the 2018 gathering of the World Meeting of Families,” said Rev Gribben. “If this materialises I would hope that all other people on this island will want to join with our fellow citizens in welcoming the leader of their church to Ireland.”
He said that should the pope visit the North, “I
would trust that all in our community would take the opportunity to show
due respect to such a visit”.
“That will, indeed, be a sign that as a society we
are continuing to develop into the kind of country that we all want
Northern Ireland to be.”
SDLP North Belfast Assembly member Nichola Mallon,
who as former lord mayor welcomed Queen Elizabeth to Belfast, said a
“papal visit to the North will make an important contribution to the
process of healing and reconciliation across the island”.
“Pope Francis’s papacy has been characterised by a
steadfast focus on challenging poverty, exclusion and social injustice,
and a concern more about the plight of the vulnerable across the world
than with the auspices of his position or his institution. That should
be an example to us all.”