Pope Francis considering invite to Ireland
Speaking after the EU Leader’s Summit in Brussels yesterday, Mr Kenny said that he had met Archbishop Diarmuid Martin who confirmed the invite and said the Government would do everything to welcome Pope Francis to Ireland.
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.
“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.
Asked if he hoped to still be Taoiseach to welcome the Pope to Ireland in 2018 Mr Kenny said: “You shouldn’t ask me questions like that.”
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”.
“In March the apostolic nuncio to Ireland, his excellency archbishop Charles Brown acknowledged the bishops’ invitation and wrote “to convey the gratitude of Pope Francis for the invitation” while continuing, “kindly be assured the invitation will be given careful consideration”, the spokesperson said.
