One weekend in 1979 had a profound and lasting effect
The 1979 papal visit to Ireland is usually remembered with great fondness. Indeed, that autumn weekend has assumed the aura of a legend. During the recent canonisations in Rome I met many people who described how it had been a major spiritual stimulus for them.
However, when one hears it discussed in the media there is often a narrative that goes something like this: In the mid-Seventies the Irish bishops noticed they were losing their grip on society. The 1978 election of the Polish Pope landed the Church a charismatic superstar. The bishops contrived a papal visit designed to reverse the secular tide. However, as we know well, the decline continued; slowly in the eighties and rapidly in the nineties. So, the 1979 papal visit is understood as an abject failure; the great funeral of Irish Catholicism.
From several conversations I’ve had over the years, the reality appears to be far less dramatic. Sure, it was hoped the visit would give the Church a boost. But the image of bishops crafting a master plan to turn the secular tide is a bit much.
The Pope was already planning a transatlantic journey to the United States that autumn to address the United Nations. The year 1979 marked the centenary of the apparitions at Knock and the dynamic parish priest, Fr James Horan, spotted the opportunity to put the Shrine on the map. Add in the Pope’s strong Marian devotion, the Irish connections at the Vatican and the need for a message of peace during the Troubles and it becomes easy to see how Ireland ended up on the schedule.
What about its legacy? At a macro level it, at most, delayed the ‘liberal agenda’ by a few years. However, that weekend in 1979 had a profound and lasting effect on the lives of thousands of people. There are priests in our parishes today, religious in the orders and many committed lay people who trace the spiritual experience of that visit as a key moment in their faith journey. Others will argue that there would be many more committed lay people and clergy around today if the pontificate of John Paul II hadn’t happened at all but there’s no denying that the 1979 visit was a deeply religious experience for many.
The surge in seminary entrants in the years after 1979 did not necessarily translate into a large ordination bounce seven years later but there are plenty who describe John Paul’s visit as a significant moment in their vocation story. This human dimension of the visit is usually ignored or reduced to an insignificant footnote.
Papal visits don’t typically change societies with the exception of the unique set of circumstances in Poland. But they do tend to galvanise the faith commitment of significant numbers of people.
No one event should be overburdened with unrealistic expectations. But that 1979 visit had a deep effect on many people; an effect that, in many cases, would last a lifetime.
If in doubt
I was standing alongside several nuns from Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso at the Canonisation Mass a few weeks ago. They reminded me of a memory lapse Pope John Paul appeared to have during his second visit to that country in 1990. He had previously visited the country, then known as Upper Volta, in 1980. John Paul’s custom was to kiss the ground only on his first visit. However, after descending the steps of the plane during his 1990 return he hesitated. Perhaps it was tiredness – this was the 5th day of a gruelling 8-day tour of the continent – but there was a moment of confusion during which the Pope seemed unsure of whether to kneel to kiss the tarmac or not. He broke his own protocol and knelt to kiss the ground judging that it was better to be safe than sorry!
Pope Francis visit
Will Pope Francis visit Ireland? What kind of reception would he receive? It’s hard to know. It certainly would be very different to the atmosphere surrounding a visit from Pope Benedict. Pope Francis has already caught people’s attention and imagination in a way Pope Benedict never did.
We know Pope Francis will travel to South Korea in August; a priority since Asia was not visited by Pope Benedict. In September 2015 he may travel to Philadelphia for the World Meeting of Families. Could this provide the opportunity for a stop in Ireland as he travels to the States?
Pope Francis won’t make many trips so those he chooses to embark upon will be meaningful. When he looks at a map of Europe he’ll struggle to find a situation that needs reconciliation and encouragement more than Ireland