when did the pope visit ireland

On This Day: Pope John Paul II becomes the first Pope to visit Ireland

Pope john paul ii became the first pope to ever visit ireland when he arrived in dublin for a three-day visit on september 29, 1979..

Pope John Paul II drew huge crowds during his visit to Ireland, the country's first papa visit, between Saturday, September 29 and Monday, October 1, 1979.

Nearly three million people turned out to welcome the pontiff at five venues: Dublin, Drogheda in Co Louth, Galway, Limerick, and Knock in Co Mayo.

The numbers were phenomenal when you consider that the population of the Republic was 3,368,217 in 1979.

In Dublin's Phoenix Park, more than 1 million people attended the first ever papal mass in Ireland.

Pope John Paul II's first day in Ireland was so jam-packed that the he jokingly claimed the Irish were trying to kill him.

There was a mammoth roar from the giant crowd when the pope's plane, an Aer Lingus Boeing 747 named St. Patrick, flew over Phoenix Park en route to Dublin Airport. 

When he disembarked at Dublin Airport, the pope kissed the ground and was greeted by President of Ireland Patrick Hillery.

The pope then took a helicopter to Phoenix Park where he said mass for more than 1.25 million people.

Afterward, the he traveled to Killineer, near Drogheda in Co Louth, where he led a Liturgy of the Word for 300,000. During this event, Pope John Paul II appealed to the paramilitaries to lay down their arms.

"I wish to speak to all men and women engaged in violence," he said. "I appeal to you, in language of passionate pleading. On my knees I beg you, to turn away from the path of violence and to return to the ways of peace."

The visit to Drogheda in the border county of Louth was as near to the North as the pope would get. A planned mass in St Patrick's Cathedral in Co Armagh in Northern Ireland had been canceled as his advisers feared he would be a target for loyalist paramilitaries.

Just weeks earlier, the British Queen's cousin, Lord Louis Mountbatten, had been killed in an IRA bomb attack on his boat in Co Sligo while 18 soldiers were killed in two explosions near Warrenpoint, Co Down.

After the event in Killineer, the pope returned to Dublin where some 750,000 people greeted him as he traveled through the city in an open-top 'popemobile.'

He then visited Áras an Uachtaráin and met with journalists before spending the night at Apostolic Nunciature on the Navan Road in Cabra, Dublin. 

The following day, September 30, the pope toured Clonmacnoise, an ancient monastery, in Co Offaly before celebrating a Youth Mass for 300,000 at Ballybrit Racecourse in Co Galway.

"Young people of Ireland, I love you," he told the Youth Mass.

Afterward, he visited one of Ireland's most holy sites, Knock Shrine in Co Mayo, which he said was "the goal of my journey to Ireland." He said mass outdoors for some 450,000 people.

On October 1, his final day in Ireland, the pope visited St. Patrick's College, Maynooth, the National Seminary, in Co Kildare. He said his final mass of his Irish visit at Greenpark Racecourse in Co Limerick for a crowd of 400,000. He then left Ireland from Shannon Airport, bound for Boston for a six-day visit to the US.

Here are some TV highlights of Pope John Paul II's visit to Ireland in 1979:

*Originally published in April 2014. Last updated in September 2022.

• Pope John Paul's shocking comment to President of Ireland Mary McAleese
• Clouds gathered after Pope John Paul’s 1979 visit to Ireland
• “The Irish brought you whiskey” - Pope’s immigration comment described as an “ethnic slur”

Love Irish history? Share your favorite stories with other history buffs in the IrishCentral History Facebook group.

Sign up to IrishCentral's newsletter to stay up-to-date with everything Irish!

Related: Catholic , Dublin

Ireland's most unique raffle, WIN a new McHale Fusion 4 Plus Baler or €75,000 cash

Uncovering Irish American history at Notre Dame

Irish giant folklore might be explained by genetic study

GIVEAWAY: Win VIP trip to the largest Celtic festival in the world, Milwaukee Irish Fest!

Happy birthday Enya, one of the world's top-earning female artists

Faces of the Titanic: John Horgan, lost at sea, remains a mystery man

Fancy living in a beautiful Irish village? Win keys to a stunning home in Adare, Co. Limerick

Wild wallabies wander this deserted Irish island

Mountrath: A market town in Co Laois

What's your Irish County? County Laois

Liam Neeson joins Hollywood actors in show of support for Kevin Spacey

Guinness is going green with €100 million decarbonization plan for Dublin brewery

Pope’s visit to Ireland: everything you need to know

Why is he visiting where will he stay and more questions answered.

Conor Pope reports from Dublin city on the wide array of souvenirs you can buy to commemorate the forthcoming visit of Pope Francis to Ireland in August. Video: Bryan O'Brien

Pope Francis is expected to draw significantly smaller crowds than the last papal trip to Ireland by John Paul II nearly 40 years ago. Ireland has changed utterly since those days, but the imminent visit from the leader of the world's 1.3 billion Catholics will still be the biggest gathering the country has seen in decades. So, what do we know about it ?

Pope Francis? Tell me about him again…

Since the white smoke announced the 266th leader of the Catholic Church in 2013, Pope Francis - given name Jorge Mario Bergoglio - has enjoyed high popularity ratings worldwide, driven by his humble style, common touch and emphasis on compassion and social justice.

Undated photograph of Jorge Mario Bergoglio as a teenager in Buenos Aires. Photograph: AP/Bergoglio family

The one-time nightclub bouncer in his native Buenos Aires is widely seen as a reformer and moderniser within the church. But this approach grates with traditionalists, while liberals object to his orthodoxy on other matters including sex. He is the first South American and Jesuit to become pope. He was born on December 17th, 1936, making him 81 years of age.

So, when is he coming to Ireland?

Pope Francis will touch down at Dublin Airport at 10:30am on Saturday, August 25th. He will be greeted by clergy and representatives of the Government. It remains to be seen whether he will replicate the famous gesture of Pope John Paul II, at the start of the last papal visit almost nearly four decades ago, by kissing the Irish ground as he gets off the plane. Bookies are offering narrow odds on the chances.

Pro-LGBT priest to remain on speaker line-up for Pope’s visit

Pope will meet abuse survivors as part of his visit to Ireland

Vatican fears over redress costs drove Cardinal Sodano indemnity proposal

Pope John Paul II arrives into Dublin Airport on Saturday, 29th September, 1979 and kneels to kiss the ground. Photograph: The Irish Times.

Where’s he going and when?

First up, a trip to Áras an Úachtaráin to meet President Michael D Higgins. There will be a welcome ceremony at the main gate to the Áras, beside the Phoenix Monument on Chesterfield Avenue, in the Phoenix Park. The pontiff will spend about half an hour with President Higgins, his wife Sabina - and, no doubt, the first dogs, Bród and Sioda. The Pope will sign a visitors' book then have a private meeting with the President. There are also plans for the pontiff to plant a tree in the grounds of the Áras.

Where next?

Then, it is over to Dublin Castle where the Pope will meet Taoiseach Leo Varadkar as well as church leaders, the Council of State, Government MEPs, Northern Ireland political party leaders and some members of the judiciary. This will be where the first of his three planned speeches during the two-day trip will be given. After that, he will cross the Liffey again to see St Mary’s Pro-Cathedral before making a private visit to the Capuchin Fathers day centre for homeless families on Arran Quay. Here, he will meet 80 people who are homeless. Then, the first major event of the trip - the Pope will give an address to the Festival of Families extravaganza at Croke Park.

What’s the Festival of Families?

It's a Catholic church celebration of the role of the family, held in cities around the world every three years. Around 70,000 people are expected at a two-hour Croke Park concert, which has a star-studded line-up including Italian tenor Andrew Botcelli, Daniel O'Donnell, Nathan Carter, Paddy Moloney, Riverdance, Dana Masters, Celine Byrne, Moya Brennan, The Begley Family and The Priests. None quite as famous though as God's representative on Earth: the Pope's speech on Saturday evening is billed as the highlight.

Daniel O’Donnell and his wife Majella pictured last year. File photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill

Sunday will be a day of the rest then?

Not a bit. The second day is just as hectic. After breakfast, Pope Francis will fly from Dublin to Knock where 45,000 devotees are expected to endure long walks and no seating to catch a glimpse of him at the Chapel of Knock Shrine, where he will lead the Angelus. Knock is under a de-facto shutdown from Saturday evening in advance of the one-hour appearance. No-one other than residents can stay in the Co Mayo village overnight. The main N17 road between Charlestown and Claremorris will close from midnight until at at least 3pm on Sunday. Security will be tight at the airport. Organisers say those travelling for the event should prepare for a lot of walking, a lot of waiting and a lot of standing. There will be designated "rest zones" as well as food and drink stations. You can bring a portable seat.

This is a punishing schedule for the 81-year-old Pope…

And, he won't be finished there. After Knock, he will fly back to Dublin to have "a modest lunch with his immediate delegation" at his residence while here, says the Catholic Church. Then it is on to the Phoenix Park again, where in the footsteps of Pope John Paul II, he will be the chief celebrant in a special 3pm Mass at the site of the Papal Cross. Half a million people are expected. Like Knock, there will be "rest zones" as well as food and drink stations. More than 1,000 doctors, nurses and paramedics will be stationed at 1.5 km intervals on all routes to the Papal Cross.  The Phoenix Park in its entirety will be closed from Friday evening to late Monday. Everyone will be listening out for the Homily of the Holy Father. Afterwards, the Pope will meet the Irish Bishops at the Convent of the Domincan Sisters in Cabra. Here, he will deliver the last of his prepared speeches, before flying back to Rome amid a farewell ceremony at the airport. The Pope's full itinerary can be viewed on the website of the World Meeting of Families .

His residence while here, you say?

The Catholic Church said it would not disclose where Pope Francis is staying "for security reasons at the request of Vatican Security and the gardaí." Farmleigh House is the State's official guest house for visiting heads of State and dignitaries, but it is understood the Pope will not be staying here.

Can we take it there will be transport disruption in Dublin?

Dubliners have been strongly advised to leave the car at home this weekend and use public transport as dozens of roads are closed for the duration of the Pope's visit. We've gathered all the information you'll need on where you can and cannot drive this weekend, along with all public transport options available for those hoping to go about their daily business. All the traffic details are  here .

Any special transport arrangements?

Every bus, tram and train available is being called upon for what gardaí say is the biggest event organised in Ireland since the last Papal visit in 1979 (Here's a selection of pictures from that Pope visit in 1979). Those with tickets for any of the Pope's events will be allowed travel free on public transport in Dublin on the day of the event. Iarnród Éireann, Dublin Bus, Luas, Bus Éireann, Go-Ahead and Translink in the North are all operating special services. "Papal transport hubs" are being set up close to Phoenix Park gates where buses will leave and collect passengers. Park and ride hubs are being set up at Leopardstown Racecourse (Luas), UCD Belfield (Dublin Bus), Maynooth University (train) and Fairyhouse Racecourse (train). Rail chiefs have said advance booking is mandatory. Gardai have provided some helpful maps for Phoenix Park and Knock parts of the visit.

Heavens above: What will the weather be like?

Met Éireann is forecasting changeable weather for the weekend and the outlook is for "fresher and cooler" conditions with highs of just 14 to 17  degrees. While it is expected to stay drier on Saturday, Sunday is forecast to be wet for both of the main events in Knock and the Phoenix Park.

Will the heavens open or will God look kindly on our little island?

Check our five-day forecast for the visit here .

Mmmmh … we might just watch it on the TV or follow it online. Can we do that?

RTÉ will broadcast coverage throughout the weekend. On RTÉ One there will be live rolling coverage of all the public events, while live coverage of The Festival of Families event on Saturday will be broadcast on RTÉ2. The broadcaster said it will announce specific schedule details in the coming weeks.

Also The Irish Times will be running full live coverage of the events throughout the visit. We are not alone; there are 1,200 media accredited for the event from around the world, including from the US, Europe, Venezuela, Brazil and Costa Rica. If you choose to sit it out at home, you will not be stuck.

Why is he visiting here now?

Ostensibly, he’s coming for the World Meeting of Families festival. It was set up on the orders of Pope John Paul II in 1994, and the incumbent pontiff usually celebrates a Mass at the event. While it is not an official State visit, many in the Catholic Church will be hoping it can help heal some of the wounds caused in Ireland by the countless clerical sex abuse scandals of recent years.

Will he meet with abuse survivors?

He will, though details of when and whom he will meet will not be released in advance to protect the anonymity of survivors, according to this newspaper’s Religious Affairs correspondent Patsy McGarry. Catholic Archbishop of Dublin Dr Diarmuid Martin has said he was pushing the Vatican to have the Pope meet a cross-section of survivors of industrial schools, Magdalene laundries, mother and baby homes and those who suffered from clerical sex abuse. Pope Francis met survivors of abuse in other countries. The details of the meetings are announced afterwards.

Colm O’Gorman: “We cannot and will not allow this visit to simply disappear those who have suffered”. File photograph: Eric Luke

Dr Diarmuid Martin has said he was pushing the Vatican to have the Pope meet a cross-section of survivors. File photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill

And can we expect any protests?

A “solidarity event” for those hurt or abused by the Catholic Church is being organised for Dublin’s Garden of Remembrance to coincide with the papal Mass in the Phoenix Park. Remember, that’s 3pm on Sunday, August 26th. Abuse survivor Colm O’Gorman, founder of the One in Four group, which assists other victims, said “we cannot and will not allow this visit to simply disappear those who have suffered. This event will be a moment to assert and respect the dignity of those who have been abused, and to stand in solidarity with them. To mark an end to the Ireland that allowed this to happen.” The Coalition of Mother and Baby Home Survivors are planning to protest.

Will there be the same turnout for the Pope this time around?

That would be a miracle. Ireland is a dramatically changed country since the late 1970s, when it was illegal to be gay, divorce was outlawed and proposals to legislate for abortion would have seemed far-fetched. The Catholic church has been badly damaged since then by its sex abuse cover-ups against the backdrop of a general social shift towards more liberal values.

Pope John Paul II travelling in the Pope mobile in Ballybrit Co Galway during his visit to Ireland in 1979. Photograph: Dermot O’Shea

Church attendances and priest numbers are dwindling. On September 29th 1979, the first day of the Pope John Paul II visit, more than a million people gathered for the papal Mass in Phoenix Park - about a third of the population at the time. It is believed to be the largest gathering of Irish people in history. This time around there will be less than half that number - about a tenth of the population. But it will still be the biggest gathering in the country since the last papal visit.

Remember the Popemobile from the last time - will there be one this time?

There will be two this time. One for Dublin and one for Knock. They are being shipped to Ireland from the Vatican.

Pope Francis on a Popemobile waves to Filipino well wishers in 2015. Photograph: Francis R Malasig/EPA

The Pope will travel through the capital on Saturday afternoon at about 4.15pm and the tour is expected to draw 100,000 onlookers. The popemobile entourage will go south on O'Connell Street, across O'Connell Bridge, up  Westmoreland  Street and continue up Dame Street. The motorcade will then pass Christchurch Cathedral, go down Bridge Street and across the Liffey onto Church Street to the Capuchin Centre where Pope Francis will have a private meeting with homeless families. He will also do a popemobile drive around Phoenix Park for half an hour before the Mass begins on Sunday. Apart from that, he will "mostly travel in a closed car", a specially adapted Skoda Rapid with custom plates.

Will the Pope be speaking in English?

Pope Francis travels with his own translator and is expected to speak mostly in Italian during his visit to Ireland. Organisers say he may go off script but they are not aware of any plans at this stage for a cúpla focail as gaeilge ón bPapa Pronsias.

And what is his airplane like?

The Pope doesn't have a private plane. As is tradition, he will charter one from Italian airline Alitalia to fly into Ireland. The Alitalia aircraft is referred to as "Shepherd One" - a papal version of Air Force One - but it can be a different aircraft each time, which then returns to normal use. He does have his own flight number though - AZ4000. He usually has a seat or two in business class, while reporters travelling with the entourage sit in economy.

Pope John Paul II gives his farewells to the crowds gathered at Shannon before leaving the country on an Aer Lingus flight in 1979. Photograph: Dermot O’Shea

The Pope usually takes the host nation's flag carrier back to Rome and therefore will fly Aer Lingus home. He willalso fly Aer Lingus between Dublin and Knock.

Anything else we need to know?

Yes - get vaccinated if you're going to one of the big events. The HSE's Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) has warned large gatherings like this pose "unique health risks" particularly for young children and the elderly. Given the ongoing measles spread in Europe, it says it is "highly advisable" that all those travelling to see the pope ensure they are up to date with their vaccinations.

Vatican proposed Irish State indemnify it against clerical abuse claims

Vatican ‘sought deal’ with irish state to bury church documents, pope must admit vatican disregard for abused on irish visit, more than 500 asylum seekers have been granted work permits, asylum seekers face obstacles joining workforce despite government move, contract for more than 500 social homes to be awarded, refugee family reunification putting ‘pressure’ on homeless system, in this section, violent attacks by foreign state agents on irish people ‘will happen’, prominent civil liberties lawyer says, analysis: what effect will the government’s scattergun approach to managing migrants have, planning permission not required to house international protection applicants in tents at thornton hall, refugees remaining in direct provision after being allowed stay in ireland could be charged rent, knock priest welcomes new vatican rules which tighten rules on supernatural phenomena, big parties set to win seats in each of three european parliament constituencies, poll finds, irish workers among the least productive in europe, study indicates, every time i travel abroad i am gripped by the fear that ireland is making a fool of me, i visited singapore to see why it is ranked as the top education system in the world. here’s what i learned, latest stories.

Cyclist (70s) dies following road crash involving car on Dame Street in Dublin

Israel-Hamas war: Supplies arrive in Gaza via new pier but land routes essential - US aid chief

Weekend weather: Mixed weather forecast across country, says Met Éireann

Donald Trump falsely tells supporters he won Minnesota in 2020

Can US modular home specialist deliver for Ireland?

Ukraine braces for heavy battles as Putin says Russia carving out ‘buffer zone’

Irish FTSE giant DCC fails to get credit for green shift as other parts of group drag

• Terms & Conditions
• Privacy Policy
• Cookie Information
• Cookie Settings
• Community Standards

• Skip to main content
• Keyboard shortcuts for audio player

Pope Ends Visit To A Disillusioned Ireland, Where Church Authority Has Plunged

Frank Langfitt

Pope Francis arrives as people gather for the Mass in Phoenix Park on Sunday in Dublin. Matt Cardy/Getty Images hide caption

Pope Francis arrives as people gather for the Mass in Phoenix Park on Sunday in Dublin.

Back in 1979, Pope John Paul II arrived in Ireland to an outpouring of love, affection and enormous crowds, including an estimated 1.2 million people for a Mass in Dublin's Phoenix Park. Among the faithful that day was Carmel Malone.

Carmel Malone (center), 78, came in her wheelchair on Saturday with her two daughters, Margaret and Catherine, to see Pope Francis during his visit to Dublin. Frank Langfitt/NPR hide caption

Carmel Malone (center), 78, came in her wheelchair on Saturday with her two daughters, Margaret and Catherine, to see Pope Francis during his visit to Dublin.

Nearly four decades later, Malone's daughters brought her in a wheelchair to watch Pope Francis pass through downtown Dublin on Saturday. This time, the crowds were far sparser — only one deep in some places — and there were even some boos from victims of clerical sexual abuse who protested along the road.

"I believe," said Malone, 78, explaining why she came out. "I know the young people of today don't believe, but I do."

Francis spent the weekend in a radically different Ireland than the one John Paul II encountered. It is richer, more educated, more secular — and deeply disillusioned after revelations of widespread clerical sexual abuse, the cruelty of church-run workhouses that took children away from their unwed mothers and repeated church cover-ups.

When John Paul II visited, weekly Mass attendance in Ireland was around 80 percent and homosexuality was illegal. Today, Mass attendance hovers around 35 percent . In 2015, Irish people voted to legalize same-sex marriage. Ireland's Taoiseach, or prime minister, Leo Varadkar, is openly gay. In May, two-thirds of voters went against church doctrine and cast ballots to remove a constitutional amendment banning abortion.

"Most people here in Ireland have changed their views on the church due to the hurt and the neglect that's been caused," said Catherine Malone, Carmel's daughter, who wheeled her mother to the sidewalk to see the pope. "Ireland was such a poor country back in 1979, but so much was expected from us. We were really bullied into donations every week."

Pope Francis Visits Ireland Amid Church Scandals Across The World

Whereas the last papal visit was a national celebration, some people at Francis' Sunday Mass in Phoenix Park were a little defensive amid all the criticism of the church as it continues to grapple with what has become a global sexual abuse crisis. Sarah O'Rourke, who teaches religion in a Roman Catholic primary school, went to witness Francis' message so she could bring it back to her students, the vast majority of whom don't attend Mass. She brought her family but didn't tell several acquaintances because she thought they might be critical.

More than 1,000 people demonstrated for justice for church abuse victims in Dublin on Sunday as Pope Francis celebrated Mass across town. Frank Langfitt/NPR hide caption

More than 1,000 people demonstrated for justice for church abuse victims in Dublin on Sunday as Pope Francis celebrated Mass across town.

"Unless I was asked and I knew it would get a good reception, I didn't say anything," said O'Rourke. "Maybe that's the wrong approach to take but, you know what I mean, it wasn't a popular thing to say."

Many who attended Sunday's service were delighted to see some of the faithful turn out amid criticism and opposition to the visit.

"It's been as if the pope's visit is a bad thing more than a good thing," said Ailbhe Lawlor, 15. But, she said, "It's great to see that so many people are happy that he's here and are respecting him."

"He's a good man," added Lawlor, who wore a Vatican City flag draped over her shoulders. "It's not his fault."

The pope spent much of his two days in Ireland apologizing for the church's behavior. His most abject apology to date came at Sunday's Mass. Reading from a statement beneath leaden skies, he said, "We ask for forgiveness for the abuses in Ireland, abuses of power and conscience, sexual abuses on the part of qualified members of the church. ... We ask forgiveness for some members of the hierarchy who did not take care of these painful situations and kept silent."

Many survivors of clerical sexual abuse were unmoved. They said the pope needs to move beyond apologies and toward strict accountability, including the firing of bishops.

Archbishop Alleges Pope Francis Long Knew About Abuse, Calls On Him To Resign

The pontiff's message of contrition was marred by a new allegation: Over the weekend, a former Vatican official accused Francis of ignoring sexual misconduct allegations for years against an American cardinal and called on him to resign. In an 11-page letter, Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò — a former Vatican ambassador to Washington — said he had told the pope five years ago that Cardinal Theodore McCarrick of Washington, D.C., faced extensive allegations of sexual misconduct.

Viganò said the pope did nothing. McCarrick resigned last month, but he maintains his innocence. The pope dismissed Viganò's letter, which took the form of a political attack and, according to the National Catholic Reporter , contained factual errors.

Sarah O'Rourke, a primary school religion teacher, didn't tell some acquaintances she was attending the pope's Mass in Dublin on Sunday. "It wasn't a popular thing to say," she said. Frank Langfitt/NPR hide caption

Sarah O'Rourke, a primary school religion teacher, didn't tell some acquaintances she was attending the pope's Mass in Dublin on Sunday. "It wasn't a popular thing to say," she said.

"Read the statement carefully and make your own judgment," the pope told reporters. "I will not say a single word on this."

As Francis preached in Phoenix Park on Sunday, more than 1,000 people protested across town, demanding the truth and justice for clerical sex abuse survivors and others mistreated by the church. The rally concluded with a rendition of "We Shall Overcome."

The gospel song associated with the American civil rights movement underscored how many in attendance saw the Catholic Church as an oppressor. Martin Grehan, a local government researcher, had seen news of the allegations against Pope Francis that morning. Based on the church's track record of inaction, Grehan said he wasn't surprised.

"We've had cardinals and bishops, they knew about abuse for years, they were covering it up," said Grehan. "This pope has better PR than the two previous popes, I think, in relation to abuse, but I don't believe a word he comes out with."

As the pope flew home to Rome Sunday night, his visit to Ireland only seemed to reinforce the collapse of Catholic authority in a country that was once synonymous with the faith.

"It's too late," said Diarmaid Ferriter, a leading historian at University College Dublin. "I don't think you can reverse this decline."

But Ferriter was not completely pessimistic about the church's future in Ireland. Perhaps, he said, there were advantages to having a smaller, more committed flock.

NPR producer Samuel Alwyine-Mosely contributed to this report.

Correction Aug. 27, 2018

A previous Web version of this story incorrectly referred to the National Catholic Reporter as the National Catholic Register.

• Catholic church
• Roman Catholic Church
• Pope Francis

• International edition
• Australia edition
• Europe edition

Pope Francis to visit Ireland in 2018

Taoiseach Enda Kenny confirms plans for trip after meeting Argentinian pontiff at Vatican

Pope Francis has said he will visit Ireland in 2018, in what will be the first papal tour of the country since John Paul II’s historic trip in 1979.

The taoiseach, Enda Kenny , confirmed the Argentinian pontiff’s visit after a 20-minute audience with him in the Vatican on Monday, during which the Irish prime minister issued a formal invitation.

Northern Ireland’s deputy first minister, Martin McGuinness, said he was confident the pope would also cross the border into Northern Ireland . “I think there is no prospect whatsoever of him coming to Ireland and him not coming to the north,” McGuinness said.

Asked why he was so sure, he replied: “Because I’m around a long time and I know how these things work.”

During the last papal visit, John Paul II was unable to go to Northern Ireland due to fears about his security at a time of heightened tensions during the Troubles.

The Polish pope got as far north at Drogheda where during an open-air mass he called on the IRA to abandon its armed struggle – a plea the Provisionals rejected in 1979.

The meeting between Kenny and the pope had been requested after an invitation from the Irish Catholic bishops’ conference to visit Ireland for the World Meeting of Families in two years. The global conference on the family is scheduled to be held in August 2018.

Kenny was accompanied at the Vatican by his wife, Fionnuala, and the Irish ambassador to the Holy See, Emma Madigan. As they left the meeting, Fionnuala Kenny said to the pope: “Hopefully we’ll see you in Ireland.”

The taoiseach presented the pope with a print of a stained glass window by Irish artist Harry Clarke. In return, the Fine Gael leader received an etching of St Peter’s Basilica.

The taoiseach’s trip to the Vatican was seen as a bridge-building exercise after his blistering attack on the global Catholic leadership in 2011. Five years ago, Kenny accused the Vatican of trying to play down the gravity of a report into widespread sexual abuse in the Cloyne diocese.

In what was the strongest attack on the Holy See by any Irish prime minister, Kenny said there was “dysfunction, disconnection, elitism and narcissism that dominate the culture of the Vatican to this day”.Kenny on Monday also raised the prospect of Pope Francis going to Northern Ireland, saying the Irish government would support him in doing so if he wanted.

“I said to [the pope] that very point, that John Paul couldn’t go because of the Troubles at the time. He did pray for peace on his knees at that time and ask the men of violence to give up their ways. So [Francis] did say that the schedule will be worked out in dialogue between the bishops and the church themselves.

“What I said to him was he’s going to be very welcome. The government will make whatever arrangements it needs to make. If it transpires that the pope wants to go to Northern Ireland for a visit, we will cooperate and work with the executive [power sharing government in Belfast].”

The papal visit to Ireland will be seen by the Irish Catholic hierarchy as a chance to reinvigorate a church beset by scandals over paedophile priests, the abuse of children in church-run institutions, the selling of babies of single mothers to rich American couples and revelations that one bishop fathered a child from a clandestine longtime relationship.

The proposed tour comes at a time when abortion is back on the political agenda in Ireland. A nationwide campaign is gathering momentum, demanding the abolition of an amendment to the constitution that pro-choice campaigners say prevents serious reform of strict anti-abortion laws.

was introduced through a referendum in 1983. Ireland’s then politically influential anti-abortion lobby, in alliance with the Catholic church, forced the Fine Gael-Labour coalition to hold a national vote to, in effect, define

as Irish citizens. It passed with 67% voting in favour.

Pro-choice groups say the amendment creates a legal “chill factor” among medics, even in cases where, under a recent law applicable in very limited circumstances, terminations are allowed, such as when continuing with a pregnancy would result in the woman’s death or in cases where she is suicidal.

• Pope Francis
• Catholicism
• Christianity

Most viewed

• Share full article

Advertisement

Supported by

Hochul Meets the Pope, and Reflects on Her Father and Irish Catholicism

At a climate change summit at the Vatican, Gov. Kathy Hochul positioned New York State as a leader in pursuing environmental goals, but also recalled her late father.

By Claire Fahy

Reporting from Vatican City

As Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York waited for Pope Francis in Clementine Hall, an ornate room with marble walls and frescoed ceilings in the Vatican’s papal apartments, her thoughts drifted to her father.

Ms. Hochul was last in Rome seven years ago with her father, who was celebrating his 80th birthday. He passed away suddenly in October , while the governor was on another diplomatic trip abroad, visiting Israel. And now, as she sat in the Vatican, she recalled her upbringing as a “social justice Catholic,” and how it shaped her political journey.

“It was a profound experience for me, sitting there reflecting on my family’s teachings,” Ms. Hochul said on Thursday. “I was thinking in that room that this is really a culmination of a lifetime dedicated to service.”

The governor was in Italy for just over 24 hours to attend a summit on climate change hosted by the pope at the Vatican. It was the second such trip taken by a New York leader in a week: Mayor Eric Adams of New York City met with the pope on Saturday.

Ms. Hochul arrived in Rome on Wednesday for a series of private meetings and a reception with Gov. Maura Healey of Massachusetts and Gov. Gavin Newsom of California.

On Thursday morning, the entire conference, which consisted of mayors, governors, climate activists and academics, gathered in the papal apartments for a private audience with Pope Francis. Some attendees wore suits, while others wore tribal attire, including feather headdresses, or more casual tourist clothes. Many brought gifts for the pope: bottles of wine, statues, flags.

Cardinal Peter Turkson, a close adviser to the pope, stood up and instructed the guests not to genuflect when meeting Pope Francis and not to try to kiss his hands. “He will pull them away,” he said, to which people laughed. Attendees were also handed white pamphlets containing a copy of the pope’s remarks in English.

Then the pope entered, leaning on a white cane that matched his white robe. People stood and applauded as he made his way to a chair at the front of the room, flanked by two cardinals. He delivered his address in Italian, his voice soft and slightly frail as he implored those gathered to do more to fight climate change.

“The road ahead is uphill and not without danger,” he said. “The data emerging from this summit have shown that the effects of climate change loom over every aspect of our lives.”

When he was finished speaking, the pope removed his glasses, folded them and put them in his pocket before signing a large red book — a climate change agreement that was also signed by the other world leaders present. The pope then greeted each guest, one by one.

Ms. Hochul said that during her turn to meet the pope she asked him to keep his thoughts and prayers with the people of New York and invited him to visit the state. He asked her to pray for him, she said. Ms. Hochul described their interaction as “meaningful.”

“My dad would have been very proud to know that not only did I go back to Rome, but I met the pope,” she said.

The conference then returned to the Synod, a central meeting place in Vatican City, for keynote addresses from Anne Hidalgo, the mayor of Paris, Governor Newsom and Ms. Hochul.

Mr. Newsom used his remarks to throw down a gauntlet of sorts with New York, trumpeting California’s success in transitioning to clean energy.

“California has exceeded its nation-leading environmental goals,” he said, adding: “I come here today on Day 32, 32 straight days, over one month, where California’s economy is literally being run with 100 percent clean energy.”

New York has struggled to follow suit. When Governor Hochul took office, a plan was already in place to convert the state to 70 percent clean energy by 2030. But last month, her administration announced that three ambitious projects to build offshore wind farms had collapsed because of supply chain issues and rising costs.

Despite the setback, Ms. Hochul said in an interview on Thursday that New York was on track to reach its goal in the next six years. Some clean-energy advocates criticized her promotion of New York’s achievements in Rome while a number of state climate change measures were removed from the budget and now face a steep battle to be passed by the Legislature by June 6, the last scheduled day of the legislative session.

So as she stepped up to the dais at the Synod, Ms. Hochul followed Mr. Newsom with fewer concrete climate achievements.

“It is such an honor to be among leaders of states like the very modest California,” Ms. Hochul joked. “We have this bicoastal camaraderie competition, but it all benefits the people of our states.”

In her remarks, the governor again referenced her parents, who she said taught her that “we have a responsibility for others,” an idea that shapes her approach to tackling climate change.

She also detailed the various climate crises that have plagued her two years as governor: hurricanes, tornadoes, flooding and even an earthquake. She called the events “cataclysmic” and announced nearly $300 million in climate resiliency funding that will support grants, effective immediately.

As her speech wound down, Ms. Hochul returned to her family. She will honor her grandparents this weekend when she travels to County Kerry in Ireland for a homecoming ceremony and a visit to her ancestral home. Her family’s Catholic faith underscored the importance of her visit with Pope Francis, she said.

“I grew up in a house where my grandparents had a picture of the current pope on the wall every day,” she said. “It was right up there next to John Kennedy.”

Claire Fahy reports on New York City and the surrounding area for The Times. She can be reached at [email protected]. More about Claire Fahy

Politics in the New York Region

Office of Cannabis Management: The head of New York State’s cannabis agency will step down at the end of his three-year term in September as part of an overhaul of the embattled agency , Gov. Kathy Hochul said.

A Thorny Mayoral Race: Zellnor Myrie, an Afro-Latino state senator from Brooklyn known for backing progressive causes, announced that he is moving to challenge  Mayor Eric Adams in next year’s Democratic primary in New York City.

Special House Election: Timothy Kennedy, a Democratic New York State senator, easily won a special House election  to replace a retiring congressman in western New York, narrowing the Republican majority in Washington.

A $237 Billion Budget: Hochul and New York City emerged as two of the winners from a budget process that blew past the April 1 deadline. Here’s a look at how things went .

Concessions From N.Y. Lawmakers: Hochul used the budget to wedge in contentious issues  like extending Adams’s control over New York City schools.

• [ May 17, 2024 ] Orthodox patriarch anticipates Pope Francis visit to Turkey for Council of Nicea anniversary News Briefs
• [ May 17, 2024 ] Nebraska bishop shares mental illness story, offers message of hope  News Briefs
• [ May 17, 2024 ] Maryland Republican Senate candidate Larry Hogan backs codifying Roe News Briefs
• [ May 17, 2024 ] California governor: Pope Francis told me he was ‘proud’ of state’s death penalty moratorium News Briefs
• [ May 17, 2024 ] Movie on Blessed Carlo Acutis and his love for the Eucharist opens this weekend News Briefs

Unity in what?

There can be no bracketing of moral issues in a genuine dialogue about recomposing Christian unity.

May 15, 2024 George Weigel Essay , Features 16 Print

Among the many urgent questions raised by the Synods on the Family in 2014 and 2015 and the current Synod on Synodality – questions that will inevitably bear on the next papal conclave – is that of unity: in what, precisely, does the unity of the Church consist?

What is the content of the “one” in the Creed’s affirmation of “one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church?”

The Synods on the Family grappled with this in their debates on worthiness to receive Holy Communion: Could those in canonically irregular marriages, who were not living in unity with the settled teaching and pastoral practice of the Church, participate fully in the sacrament of unity, the Eucharist? Or ought they refrain from receiving Holy Communion while still joining the community in offering true worship to the Father?

The ambiguities in  Amoris Laetitia , the post-synodal apostolic exhortation that followed those Synods, did not resolve that question. Rather, it deepened the concern that fault lines were opening in the Church, with some local Church interpreting  Amoris Laetitia  according to the line they had taken at the Synods (i.e., those in irregular marriages could receive Holy Communion) and other local churches interpreting the apostolic exhortation differently (those in irregular marriages should refrain from receiving Holy Communion). Those fault lines were deep indeed. For how could it be that a source of sanctifying grace in Germany was a grave sin ten miles away, on the Polish side of the German-Polish border?

This, by the way, was a concern the Group of Thirteen Cardinals (now infamous in some circles) considered raising in their letter to the Pope at the outset of Synod-2015. In that letter, the cardinals politely requested a revision of the Synod procedures so that there would be a more robust synodal debate, and a voting process in which the Synod fathers rendered their judgments on specific propositions.

An early draft of that letter warned against the possibility of the Catholic Church coming to resemble the local-option Anglican Communion, in which some constituent national churches believed and practiced in one way, and other constituent churches believed and practiced the opposite: that, it was suggested, was the path to true schism. At the end, the cardinals decided to focus on synodal procedures only and this yellow caution flag was not included in the letter’s final text.

Yet the concern remained. And it has been intensified since, not least because of diverse reactions to the December 2023 declaration of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith on the possibility of blessing those in same-sex unions and relationships. The churches of Belgium and Germany applauded (and continued to do what they had already been doing) and the churches of Africa registered a firm “No, thank you.”

These fault lines, and others, will help define the debate – and let us pray that it will be a real debate, not some ersatz and manipulated “Conversation in the Spirit” – at the Synod in October 2024.

The question of the content of the Church’s unity was clarified by Pope John Paul II during his first pastoral pilgrimage to the United States in October 1979. Prior to the Pope’s visit, U.S.-based ecumenical dialogues had focused on core doctrinal issues, “bracketing” moral questions on which there was deep disagreement between Catholics and their Protestant dialogue partners. John Paul had a different view.

After greeting the ecumenical congregation gathered in the chapel of Washington’s Trinity College as “beloved Christian brethren and fellow disciples of the Lord Jesus,” the Pope celebrated their common proclamation that “there is one Mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus [1 Tim. 2.5]” and noted with satisfaction their common love for “Sacred Scripture, which we recognize as the inspired word of God.” The Pope also cited with regret “the deep division” between Christian communities “which still exists over moral and ethical matters.”

And then, in one sentence, he shut down the ecumenical cafeteria: “The moral life and the life of faith are so deeply united that it is impossible to divide them.” Message: There can be no bracketing of moral issues in a genuine dialogue about recomposing Christian unity.

If that is true for ecumenism, it is certainly true for the unity of the Catholic Church. The content of the “one” in the Nicene affirmation of “one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church” is a unity in faith: a unity in the truths we know from revelation and reason. Local-option Catholicism is not Catholicism. National Catholicism is not Catholicism. The truths of faith – which include the moral truths that facilitate human flourishing and beatitude – are universal.

Which is to say, catholic and Catholic.

If you value the news and views Catholic World Report provides, please consider donating to support our efforts. Your contribution will help us continue to make CWR available to all readers worldwide for free, without a subscription. Thank you for your generosity!

Click here for more information on donating to CWR. Click here to sign up for our newsletter.

13 Comments

Divisions are meant to convince us about our (original) sin and the true unity is only possible amidst saints and that is why in Paradise alone the one true (triumphant) catholic Church exist.

The worldly/militant church can never be fully unified as God gently hints us by the 6000 years of history, yet our longing to make a paradise here without freeing from sin not only idolises doctrines and laws originated from purported saints which is used to guide us to the fullness of the Truth in God’s grand scheme but often foolishly proselyte as if mere obedience to it may somehow save us, that too often ignoring the fact that without God (individualy) given Faith (upon His pleasing) none are saved from their eternal death nor God offered everlasting joy (Hope) the prerequisite to fetch it.

Bergoglioism’s efforts to transform the Catholic Church into a liberal Protestant Ecclesial Community provides no hope of Catholic Unity but ever greater disunity, as the Bergoglio German Synodal Disaster has proven already.

Cancel Culture needs reverse driving, pulling the plug on the Novos Ordo McCarrick Legacy Band

Mr Cracked Nut, heart full for love of Christ Jesus, “Liberal Protestant Ecclesial Community”. Bergoglio is much more; he wants to replace the Truth and holy Commandments with his evil desires. The council did ardently strive for Christian unity. The Papal Palace is vacant while Bergoglio stays at the guest house. My problem with Trads is that you throw the Holy Mass Novus Ordo together with McCarrick, the political cancel culture and liberal derailment. They are different things. No Rite in the Holy Apostolic Church should claim all truth for themselves while loathing another. “THIS IS MY COMMANDMENT LOVE ONE ANOTHER AS I LOVE YOU” John 16. Love one another is His Commandment! “God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him” (1 John 4:11); without love we will not remain in Him. Not sentimental but straight from the Heart of God. I do enjoy your comments. Jesus loves you and I do too!

Who denies validity of the NO? Lawler’s commentary reasons that the majority of those who attend the NO form of the Mass overwhelmingly deny the validity of the NO Mass! How so? Over 70% of NO attendees deny the Sacramental and Real Presence of Jesus in the Body and Blood in the Mass. Therefore, which group finds any Mass more valid? NO Mass attendees or TLM attendees?

http://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/who-denies-novus-ordo-is-valid-prepare-for-surprise/

Why does illogic persist in positing that those who love the TLM consider the NO Mass to be invalid? I am wondering and waiting for a logical answer….

The current papacy seems to care only about unity in raw numbers translating to the collection plate. Do whatever you want, but be enrolled, and most importantly, GIVE.

Anything else is just a distraction from that mission. Meanwhile, it cannot even generate enough priests to man the parishes it has.

Typical corporate behavior, whatever they are doing is not working, so that means just do even more of the same, and then it surely will work.

“Union with God? What’s that? We HAVE communion, and that’s all the union they need!”

But the emptying parishes say differently.

As one form of engagement in the world, ST. PAUL at the Areopagus noticed that among the pagan idols an altar to “the Unknown God.” He accompanied—but most of the gathering synodally “walked together” and away….So, next in Corinth St. Paul then centered his very non-polyhedral message, preaching only “Jesus Christ and Him crucified” (1 Cor 2:1-2). The Scandal of the Cross…

The PARALLEL today is external and valuaable-but-amorphous “fraternity” coupled with (!) internal divisiveness—the separation between supposedly “abstract” dogmatic affirmations and “concrete” and contradictory exemptions. Witness now the bizarre “unity” of blessed Fiducia Supplicans, incoherently positioned in front of Dignitas Infinita…

Dignitas Infinita, which appeals more to modern history’s Areopagus—the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights than to the Natural Law as elevated by the very Word of God. How to BOTH walk with AND robustly evangelize a distracted, incendiary, and fallen world? How to not replace the apostolic Second Vatican Council with a semi-synodal plebiscite?

The contrived “unity” of Esperanto and footloose Forwardism isn’t enough.

The Holy Ghost Is The Source Of Unity In Christ’s One, Holy, Catholic, And Apostolic Church , and thus The Holy Ghost must proceed from both The Father and The Son, (Filioque).

“This picture of the Spirit as the mutual love between the Father and Son goes back to Augustine who wrote: “And the Holy Spirit, according to the Holy Scriptures, is neither of the Father alone, nor of the Son alone, but of both; and so intimates to us a mutual love, wherewith the Father and the Son reciprocally love …”

And thus we can know through both Faith and Reason, that “It is not possible to have Sacramental Communion without Ecclesiastical Communion “, due to The Unity Of The Holy Ghost, for to deny The Unity Of The Holy Ghost, Is To Deny The Divinity Of The Most Holy And Undivided Blessed Trinity, which is apostasy.

Our unity of faith and doctrine is essential for several reasons. It ensures that we all worship the same God and follow the path laid out by Christ. It fosters a sense of community and belonging, where we can learn and grow from each other. Additionally, a unified voice of the Church carries greater weight when addressing the world on matters of faith and morality. This is vital to fulfill the Great Commission. However, we must acknowledge that the journey of faith is a personal one. Not everyone grasps complex doctrines immediately. Doubts and questions often arise, and achieving a full understanding of the faith can take time. The Church, as a loving mother, recognizes this. We are all at different stages on our spiritual path. Therefore, though it is paramount that the Church demonstrates unity in core teachings, the Church must also encourage open and respectful dialogue about personal faith. Through study, prayer, and discussion, our understanding deepens. The Holy Spirit guides us on this journey, illuminating our minds and hearts to the truths of the Gospel. Let us pray for one another: let us pray that God grants us all a deeper understanding of his will and the strength to live according to his teachings. let us engage in respectful dialogue. Let us show patience and understanding and be supportive and encouraging towards those who are struggling. This is a synodal way that can be appreciated. Ultimately, unity does not mean individual uniformity, but it does mean the Church must speak about Tradition, Doctrine, and Dogma with a single voice.

First, I am a fan of George Weigel. Our unity of faith and doctrine is essential for several reasons. It ensures that we all worship the same God and follow the path laid out by Christ. It fosters a sense of community and belonging, where we can learn and grow from each other. Additionally, a unified voice of the Church carries greater weight when addressing the world on matters of faith and morality. This is vital to fulfill the Great Commission. However, we must acknowledge that the journey of faith is a personal one. Not everyone grasps complex doctrines immediately. Doubts and questions often arise, and achieving a full understanding of the faith can take time. The Church, as a loving mother, recognizes this. We are all at different stages on our spiritual path. Therefore, though it is paramount that the Church demonstrates unity in core teachings, the Church must also encourage open and respectful dialogue about personal faith. Through study, prayer, and discussion, our understanding deepens. The Holy Spirit guides us on this journey, illuminating our minds and hearts to the truths of the Gospel. Let us pray for one another: let us pray that God grants us all a deeper understanding of his will and the strength to live according to his teachings. let us engage in respectful dialogue. Let us show patience and understanding and be supportive and encouraging towards those who are struggling. This is a synodal way that can be appreciated. Ultimately, unity does not mean individual uniformity, but it does mean the Church must speak about Tradition, Doctrine, and Dogma with a single voice.

The last paragraph in the article sums up the issue very well.

I do question the phrase “The ambiguity of Amoris Laetitia” and different Churches interpreting it differently, as though it is not clear. There were bishops who questioned Pope Francis whether it meant that communion could be given to those in “irregular” marriages, and Pope Francis answered that there was no other way to interpret it. At least that is what I read.

There is a somewhat frequent effort to interpret Pope Francis statements as being in line with previous Church teachings. A sometimes difficult task I would say.

That should read:

“This picture of the Spirit as the mutual love between the Father and Son goes back to Augustine who wrote: “And the Holy Spirit, according to the Holy Scriptures, is neither of the Father alone, nor of the Son alone, but of both; and so intimates to us a mutual love, wherewith the Father and the Son reciprocally love …”

And thus we can know through both Faith and Reason, that “It is not possible to have Sacramental Communion without Ecclesiastical Communion “, due to The Unity Of The Holy Ghost, it Is “Through, With, And In Christ, In The Unity Of The Holy Ghost (Filioque), that Holy Mother Church, outside of which, there is no Salvation , due to The Unity Of The Holy Ghost (Filioque) exists.

That the cardinals did not raise the ‘yellow flag’ on the disparity rather than unanimity on moral doctrine, well discussed by Weigel, indicates the absence of leadership backbone throughout the Church. We hear instead an occasional murmur. Murmurs are not faith inspired conviction. Lacking committed leadership the Church has become divided, Weigel cites the German Polish sin here virtue there result, two churches within the Church. We [that is some] may sing the praises of Pope Francis although however lusty his ecclesial philosophy is largely the reason. We lack the fire and knowledge of the two great Alexandrian patriarchs Athanasius and Cyril.

The Church has gone into survival mode. Hogs are feasting on the abundant acorns from our ancient tree. But they cannot eat all of them!

The future Pope BXVI (Ratzinger) said in 1969: “From the crisis of today the Church of tomorrow will emerge — a Church that has lost much. She will become small and will have to start afresh more or less from the beginning … As the number of her adherents diminishes, so it will lose many of her social privileges. In contrast to an earlier age, it will be seen much more as a voluntary society, entered only by free decision. As a small society, it will make much bigger demands on the initiative of her individual members. But in all of the changes at which one might guess, the Church will find her essence afresh and with full conviction in that which was always at her center: faith in the triune God, in Jesus Christ, the Son of God made man, in the presence of the Spirit until the end of the world. … The Church will be a more spiritual Church, not presuming upon a political mandate, flirting as little with the Left as with the Right. It will be hard going for the Church, for the process of crystallization and clarification will cost her much valuable energy. It will make her poor and cause her to become the Church of the meek. The process will be all the more arduous, for sectarian narrow-mindedness as well as pompous self-will will have to be shed.”

Pope Francis to visit Rome's Campidoglio in June

By Deborah Castellano Lubov

Pope Francis will visit Rome's capital, often referred to simply as the Campidoglio, on June 10.

The news was confirmed by the Holy See Press Office on Friday following an announcement earlier in the day by the chaplain of the local Police of the City of Rome, Father Massimo Cocci.

During the visit, Rome's Mayor Roberto Gualtieri will welcome Pope Francis at 9 am.

Pope Francis received the Roman Mayor in the Vatican on January 4, as it is the tradition for the Bishop of Rome to receive the Eternal City's Mayor at the start of the year.

After the encounter, Mr. Gualtieri called the encounter "profoundly inspiring" and called the Bishop of Rome a model of "solidarity, fraternity, and peace."

A return to the Campidoglio after Prayer for Peace

Pope Francis went to the Campidoglio in October 2020 to participate in the Community of Sant'Egidio's annual Prayer Meeting for Peace. 

After interventions by Sant'Egidio's founder, Professor Andrea Riccardi, Italy's President, Sergio Mattarella, and religious leaders present, the Holy Father gave his address, before all observed a minute of silence in memory of the victims of the pandemic, wars, terrorism and violence, worldwide.

Subsequently, an appeal for peace was read, and, in keeping with the annual event's tradition, some children, who received the text of the appeal from the religious leaders, passed it on to ambassadors and political leaders present.

Thank you for reading our article. You can keep up-to-date by subscribing to our daily newsletter. Just click here

More upcoming events:

The Pope's Agenda

Listen to our podcasts

Subscribe to our newsletters

To get the latest news

Papal audiences

Daily readings

Saint of the day

Politics | N.Y. Gov. Hochul visits Pope Francis in Vatican…

Share this:.

• Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on X (Opens in new window)

Daily News e-Edition

Evening e-Edition

• E-Newspaper
• National News
• Puzzles & Games

Politics | N.Y. Gov. Hochul visits Pope Francis in Vatican climate conference

Hochul, who is Catholic, sat in the first row as Francis spoke in the Clementine Hall, a luminous chamber with walls adorned by intricate Renaissance frescoes, and was invited to greet the pope after his speech.

Hochul’s taxpayer-funded trip came five days after Mayor Adams had an audience with the pope in the Vatican. Hochul previously met Francis in 2015, when she was serving as New York’s lieutenant governor and he made a trip to Washington.

At the time, Hochul told WBFO-FM that she viewed Francis as “humble but inspirational.”

In her youth, Hochul studied and prayed at Sts. Peter and Paul School, a church and grade school near Buffalo. She grew up in an Irish-Catholic home, she has said , where a picture of the pope at the time was displayed next to an image of John F. Kennedy . Later, she earned a law degree at Catholic University. 

Francis, a one-time bouncer from Argentina, is viewed favorably by about three-quarters of U.S. Catholics, according to a poll published by the Pew Research Center earlier this year.

But he has frustrated some conservative American Catholics with his moves toward greater acceptance of gay people. Last year, he authorized priests to bless same-sex couples. 

The environment is among Francis’ top focuses, and Hochul traveled to Vatican City to join a three-day climate summit . Gov. Gavin Newsom of California and Gov. Maura Healey of Massachusetts also appeared at the conference, as did London’s mayor, Sadiq Khan. 

In remarks Thursday, Francis, 87, said the ravages of climate change will fall hardest on the global poor.

“The refusal to act quickly to protect the most vulnerable who are exposed to climate change caused by human activity is a serious offense and a grave violation of human rights,” the pope said .

Hochul said in her speech at the summit that New York State would invest $300 million in environmental resiliency spending on regions that have been hit hard by climate change.

Describing asthma alleys in New York where poor air quality has damaged the lungs of children, the governor said, “Disadvantaged communities should not be any worse environmentally than any other affluent community.”

“That is an injustice,” she said, “And we’ll continue to fight that.”

Hochul’s appearance in Vatican City came on the second day of a weeklong European trip. She was set to travel next to Dublin, where she was scheduled to meet with the Irish prime minister, Simon Harris, and visit the country’s Parliament .

Later in the trip, she is expected to visit Ireland’s County Kerry, where she has family roots. 

Hochul’s spokesman Avi Small said in a statement that the trip is being supported by New York taxpayers because she is traveling on “official business representing the State of New York,” but that costs “outside normal reimbursable business expenses will be paid for by the governor’s own personal funds.”

She is scheduled to return to New York next Tuesday.

More in Politics

National Politics | Congress compared to ‘Jerry Springer Show’ as MTG, AOC, Crockett hurl insults

NYC to start evicting migrants who hit 30-day shelter limits starting next week

Politics | Adams administration officials Kevin Kim, Joel Eisdorfer in talks to join Frank Carone’s lobbying firm

Crime and Public Safety | Michael Cohen faces day-long grilling by Trump lawyer on his character and credibility

Vatican voices caution on charge of ‘false mysticism’ in cases such as Rupnik

Controversial chinese bishop to speak at vatican conference.

Pontifical Urban University in Rome. (Credit: Vatican Media, file photo.)

ROME – Next week a high-profile conference will be held marking the centenary of the Catholic Church’s first ever council in China, drawing a slew of experts and featuring prominent Vatican speakers, including Pope Francis.

On May 21, a conference titled “100 years since the Concilium Sinense : Between history and present,” will be held at Rome’s Pontifical Urban University, marking the 100th anniversary of the Council of Shanghai.

The conference, organized in collaboration with Fides News , a missionary news site attached to the Vatican’s Dicastery for Evangelization, is slated to feature a slew of high-profile speakers from the Vatican and China, including Pope Francis and a bishop who was initially appointed without his approval.

Pope Francis will open the day-long conference with a video message, after which a video on the 1924 Council of Shanghai will be shown.

After the video, a brief greeting will be given by Bishop Joseph Shen Bin of Shanghai, who in April 2023 was transferred from the Diocese of Haimen (Jiangsu) to Shanghai by Chinese authorities without the pope’s approval.

Despite the fact that the move violated the terms of a 2018 provisional agreement between the Holy See and China on episcopal appointments, Pope Francis three months later, in July 2023, formally appointed Shen Bin as bishop of Shanghai.

The announcement of the pope’s decision to accept his appointment was accompanied by an interview with Vatican Secretary of State Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin, in which Parolin suggested that “a stable liaison office” between the Holy See and China be opened in Beijing.

Relations between the Vatican and China have appeared to accelerate ever since, with Pope Francis offering a specific shout-out to the “noble Chinese people” during the closing Mass of his September 2023 visit to Mongolia, marking the first-ever papal visit there, and the closest a pope has come to China.

During that trip, Francis offered repeated assurances to Mongolian authorities, which many believe were also directed at China, that the Church was not a threat to society, but a benefit through its social and charitable works, and that one could be both a good Christian and a good citizen.

Later in September, the pope named Bishop Stephen Chow of Hong Kong a cardinal. Last year, Chow made a historic visit to Beijing at the invitation of Beijing’s Bishop Li Shan, who himself visited Hong Kong in November 2023.

Two Chinese bishops also participated in the first part of the pope’s global Synod of Bishops on Synodality last October, and it is expected they or other prelates from China will also participate in this year’s second, closing synod session.

In addition to Shen Bin, other prominent speakers will also participate in next week’s conference, including Professor Zheng Xiaoyun Presidente Institute of World Religions at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, and Elisa Giunipero, Professor of Chinese History at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Milan, who will reflect on the theme, “The First Chinese Council: For a local and universal Church.”

Parolin will then deliver a keynote address to open the afternoon session, which will also feature talks by Father Flavio Belluomini, an archivist in the Vatican’s Dicastery for Evangelization, and Italian layman Gianni Valente, director of Fides News .

The day will close with a keynote address from Filippino Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization, overseeing the section for First Evangelization and New Particular Churches.

Held from May 15-June 12, 1924, the Council of Shanghai formulated detailed provisions for the revitalization of the Church’s activities in China in light of the apostolic letter Maximum Illud by Pope Benedict XV in 1919, which insisted that faith in Christ “is not foreign to any nation.”

The document also insisted that in every place on earth, becoming Christian did not mean “placing oneself under the protection and power of another country and escaping the law of one’s own.”

Bishops, priests and religious, most of whom were foreign missionaries, came to China and participated in the Council under the direction of the first Apostolic Delegate in China, Archbishop Celso Costantini, who was later named a cardinal, at the cathedral of St. Ignatius of Loyola in Shanghai.

Among other things, the Council issued provisions for the growth of a native clergy, with Chinese bishops, priests, and religious being entrusted with leadership of local communities and initiatives, as well as measures intended to counteract a “colonial mentality” that had influenced Church practices at the time.

According to Fides , the Rome conference next week is intended to reflect “on this synodal experience to understand its meaning and relevance for the development of the Catholic Church in China and the dynamics of apostolic work in the age of globalization.”

It is noteworthy that the conference on the Council of Shanghai is being held just months before the Vatican and China’s provisional agreement on episcopal appointments, which expires in October, is expected to be renewed for the third time.

Though never made public, the deal is believed to be modeled after the Holy See’s agreement with Vietnam, which allows the Holy See to pick bishops from a selection of candidates proposed by the government.

Follow Elise Ann Allen on X: @eliseannallen

For the cost of a cup of coffee at Starbucks, you can help keep the lights on at Crux.

Tuesdays on

Crux . Anytime . Anywhere .

Today’s top stories delivered straight into your inbox.

Vatican offers pilgrimages as key occasion for jubilee indulgence

• Elise Ann Allen

Vatican Museums under fire from workers, local residents

Israel protests talk of Gaza ‘genocide,’ ‘ethnic cleansing’ at Vatican event

Joking Pope refers to prayers against him inside the Vatican

No-vax priest who left for love of a woman runs for mayor

Jesuit urges South Africans to consider vision, values when they vote

• Ngala Killian Chimtom

Philippines edges closer to legalizing divorce, despite Church objections

Vatican doctrine czar says Medjugorje ruling not ready, but offers insight

In new vetting process for apparitions, Vatican nixes ‘supernatural’ label

Vatican reverses St. Louis Archdiocese plan to merge 3 parishes

• John Lavenburg