The Catholic Church, the Pope, and Ireland

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Catholic Church has existed for more than a thousand years. The Republic of Ireland has existed for less than a century: since 1937

 

How many times has a Pope visited the Republic of Ireland?

 

The answer is two times.

 

The first time

Pope John Paul II visited Ireland in 1979. While he was there, he held an open-air mass in Phoenix Park in the capital Dublin.

 

More than one million people attended the open-air mass held in Phoenix Park in 1979. This figure corresponds to almost one third of the Irish population at that time.

 

What was the purpose of his visit?

 

The official purpose of the visit was to strengthen the Catholic tradition in Ireland and to promote peace and reconciliation.

 

The second time

Pope Francis visited Ireland in 2018. While he was there, he held an open-air mass in Phoenix Park in Dublin.

 

The organisers of the open-air mass expected around 500,000 people to attend the open-air mass. But this expectation was far too high. 

 

Ca. 130,000 people attended the open-air mass in 2018. This figure corresponds to less than three percent of the Irish population at that time.

 

What was the purpose of his visit?

 

The official purpose of the visit was to participate in the World Meeting of Families and to address the sexual abuse scandal in Ireland.

 

A comparison

When these two events are compared, it is obvious that a huge change had happened in Ireland with regard to the authority, influence, and power of the Catholic Church.

 

In 1979, the Catholic Church had strong support among the Irish people. More than one million Irish citizens showed up to see and listen to the Pope

 

In 2018, the Catholic Church had lost many followers. The Catholic Church no longer enjoyed the same respect which it had enjoyed in 1979. Less than a quarter of a million Irish citizens showed up to see and listen to the Pope.

 

REFERENCES

 

# 1. Links to Wikipedia

 

Pope John Paul II visits Ireland - 1979

 

Pope Francis visits Ireland - 2018 

 

# 2. Books

 

Moral Monopoly: Rise and Fall of the Catholic Church in Modern Ireland

By Tom Inglis

(2019)

The Best Catholics in the World: The Irish, the Church and the End of a Special Relationship

By Derek Scally

(2021)

 

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Pope John Paul II

Bishop of Rome

Pope 1978-2005

Born in Poland in 1920

as Karol Josef Wojtyla 

Died in the Vatican City in 2005 

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Pope Francis

Bishop of Rome

Pope since 2013

Born in Argentina in 1936

as Jorge Mario Bergoglio

 

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Nell McCafferty (1944-2024)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nell McCafferty (1944-2024) was an Irish journalist, a civil rights activist and a feminist. She wrote articles for the Irish Times and several other publications.

 

According to many observers, she was a fearless and strong voice in Ireland.

 

She tried to speak for those who had no voice. She tried to speak for those who had little or no power:

 

People who were poor and people who were oppressed, in particular women.

 

Some readers loved her for doing this, while other readers hated her. They wanted her to shut up. But she could not be silenced.

 

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During the years after World War II, Irish women did not have many rights. Irish women did not have much control over their own lives.

 

Irish society was, in many ways, controlled and dominated by the Catholic Church:

** No access to contraception

** Homosexual activities were regarded as a crime

** No divorce

** No same-sex marriage

** No abortion

 

But during the 1980s and the 1990s, things began to change, and in the twenty-first century, the changes continued:

** Contraception was legal from 1980. In the beginning, there were some restrictions, but they were removed in 1985

** Homosexual activities were legal from 1993

** Divorce was legal from 1996

** Same-sex marriage was legal from 2015

** Abortion was legal from 2019

 

Nell McCafferty played an important role in the popular movement which supported these changes.

 

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In 1984, she followed the developments of the Kerry Babies Case. She wrote a book about the case which was published in 1985.

 

The Kerry Babies case was an important moment in the history of modern Ireland. Many people - especially women - began to question the authority and the power of the Catholic Church because of this case.

 

The influence of the Catholic Church was greatly undermined because of the way in which the government handled this case.

 

Around the year 2000, Nell McCafferty began to write her memoirs. The book of memoirs was published in 2004, when she was 60. She lived to be 80.

 

REFERENCES

 

A Woman to Blame:

The Kerry Babies Case

By Nell McCafferty

(1985)

 

Nell

By Nell McCafferty

(2004)

 

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The Irish journalist

Nell McCafferty

(1944-2024)

 

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Out of Innocence

This historical drama 

about the Kerry Babies Case 

premiered in 2016

 

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