Pope Francis announces visit to Ireland in August

Pope Francis has confirmed he will visit Ireland in August, the first papal visit to the country in nearly 40 years.

He will be attending the World Meeting of Families, an international Catholic event held in Dublin every three years.

The Pope will take part in the Festival of Families, a faith-based cultural concert, in the city’s Croke Park on 25 August, before celebrating mass in Phoenix Park the following day, the Irish Independent reports.

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Although there had been “previous speculation that he would visit north of the border”, there has been no indication that the pontiff plans to cross into Northern Ireland, says the BBC.

Bishop Donal McKeown of Derry said Pope Francis would be very welcome to visit Northern Ireland and that he “would be very keen that that could still be considered”.

Irish PM Leo Varadkar says he is looking forward to meeting the Catholic leader.

“While it is not a formal state visit, it will be a major event for Ireland, with a high degree of public participation and a high international profile,” Varadkar said.

The Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference also welcomed the visit, saying in a statement: “We are deeply honoured that Pope Francis will come to our country to participate in this universal church celebration of faith and joy, as well as of the contemporary challenges which face families.

“With great anticipation we also look forward to hearing the apostolic guidance of His Holiness during his stay with us.”

Pope John Paul II was the last pope to visit the Republic of Ireland, in 1979. More than 2.5 million people - about half of the island’s then population - turned out to see him.