When Pope Francis arrives in Ireland, he will be visiting a different country from the one that hosted Pope John Paul II in 1979. Back then, it was still possible to believe in a “holy Catholic Ireland”, united in its fidelity to the Church. Today, the illusion of a holy Catholic Ireland has been shattered. As Francis’ visit approaches, it has become a cliché to point this out. But given the scale of decline between papal visits, it seems reasonable to ask: what’s the future for the Church in Ireland after Francis?
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Article originally appeared on the RTE Brainstorm site.
The featured image in this article is used under a Creative Commons licence.
