A papal trip to Ireland

Dear Editor, Amid all of the recent coverage of the hopes and plans for Pope Francis to respond positively to an invitation to visit Irish shores, David Quinn’s cautionary note ‘Any papal trip must not be exploited by this Government’ (IC 1/5/14) is the message to be heeded.

As we watch from afar Pope Francis almost single-handedly reinvigorate the papacy, if not the very Church, it cannot be denied that even an undertaking by the Pope to travel to Ireland would lead to unbounded joy for the faithful here and any such visit would have a profound and positive impact on the state of our Church locally – David Quinn describes a needed “shot in the arm”.

However, the actions of an Taoiseach in Rome to shamelessly offer his politician’s handshake to the leader of a Church he demonised and insulted when the mood music played one way, gives clear illustration to David Quinn’s warning against any visit during the tenure of this pro-abortion Government. The prospect of politicians of this administration queuing up to make gain with weasel words and practised smiles is almost too sickening to contemplate.

Far better for Rome to play the long game – as David Quinn suggests it will – and wait for the day when Pope Francis is not placed in the invidious position of being hosted by so anti-Church a Government.

Yours etc.,

Brendan Costello,

Phibsborough,

Dublin 7.