The Pope in Ireland Pope Francis harbours no illusions about modern Ireland, Cardinal Kevin Farrell told Greg Daly   When it was announced at the closing ceremony of the 2015 World Meeting of Families that the Church’s next global celebration of the family would be held in Dublin, eyebrows inevitably were raised. The September 27…

Pope in Ireland Colm Fitzpatrick explores why the Pope chose the name ‘Francis’   Nowadays, the names that we are given or ascribe usually have no abiding meaning or significance, but merely act as markers for identifying one another. However, in the Jewish tradition, names carried spiritual significance – they held a certain symbolic meaning…

Pope in Ireland   In the papal apartments the next morning after Joseph Ratzinger was declared Pope in 2005, Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio paused longer than almost any other cardinal to converse with the new German Pontiff and express his deferential respect and loyalty – a tradition that has been carried out by cardinals since the…

Pope in Ireland The Pope’s window for showing that child protection is a key priority for his is narrowing, 
writes Michael Kelly   It was with a mixture of sadness and dismay that many Catholics looked on in January 2018 when Pope Francis jumped to the defence of a controversial Chilean bishop accused of knowing…

Pope in Ireland Pope Francis wants a living relationship between Rome and the local Churches, writes Greg Daly   It’s one of the many ironies of Pope Francis’ pontificate that the 2014 and 2015 synods of bishops have been criticised by some as rigged exercises, when by all accounts they were the most open and…

Pope in Ireland Pope Francis has not fully realised his ambitious reform agenda, writes Michael Kelly   According to a leaked diary – which no-one has disputed – Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio came runner-up in the conclave that elected Benedict XVI in 2015. Despite that, few people considered him a candidate for the papacy in 2013,…

Pope in Ireland Chai Brady explores why Francis is known as the ‘Pope of the poor’   When darkness falls on the city of Rome and the its homeless search for shelter and food, there’s one disguised shepherd on the streets practicing what he preaches and assisting the impoverished. Not many people would expect a…

Pope Francis in Ireland Pope Francis: a champion for the cause of migrants, writes Chai Brady   Continuously being a strong advocate for the rights of migrants and refugees, it seems wholly appropriate that Pope Francis’ first pastoral visit outside Rome was Lampedusa – where migrants have arrived in huge numbers over the years. In…

Pope in Ireland   Pope Francis has often spoken about the importance of love and marriage before and during his papacy, which makes it very apt he will meet couples from every diocese in Ireland in the pro-cathedral during his visit. On August 25 Francis will join with married and engaged couples in St Mary’s…

The Pope in Ireland Pope Francis has been unyielding in his pursuit of peace, writes Greg Daly   Once it was announced that Dublin would host the 2018 World Meeting of Families, there was little delay before speculation began over whether Pope Francis would come to Ireland and whether, if so, he would visit the…