Michael Kelly“We shouldn’t be surprised that people want the World Meeting of Families to be more than just a Catholic come-all-ye”, writes Editor Michael Kelly
It seems increasingly certain that Pope Francis will visit Dublin for the 2018 World Meeting of Families. According to Archbishop Diarmuid Martin, the Pontiff confirmed that either he or his successor will make the trip.
The Pope will be almost 82 by the time the event happens, so health will obviously be a concern. Though, Francis’ health appears to be remarkable robust for a man who admits he doesn’t like to take holidays or a day off.
As well as presiding at events surrounding the World Meeting of Families, it is certain the Pope will undertake other engagements while in Ireland. There is obviously the Vatican’s long-cherished goal of a papal visit to the North. A visit to a site that speaks of Ireland’s long Christian heritage like Knock, Clonmacnois, or Lough Derg would also be a must.
Francis has also already been invited to address the Houses of the Oireachtas and the visit would obviously have a certain political flavour (though the Pope’s gloomy expression when he is photographed with politicians makes it clear that he has very little interest in such meetings).
The Pope would almost certainly insist on seeing the Church’s vital role in caring for vulnerable communities in person. So, a lunch appointment at somewhere like the Capuchin Day Centre in Dublin rather than a lavish lunch at Áras an Uachtaráin would be a safe bet.
Material preparation
If the papal visit is to be a success, it is vital that the next two years are a period of intense spiritual and material preparation. For most of the last 200 years, the Church in Ireland has proved itself to be adept at material preparations, but we’ve arguably become lax at spiritual preparation and many Irish Catholics find themselves unnourished.
And yet the appetite for spiritual nourishment is immense. It’s almost four years now since the International Eucharistic Congress in Dublin. That event witnessed an immense thirst for catechesis and faith formation.
More than a few bishops remarked to me that they were amazed to see talks and workshops consistently over-subscribed. Some talks were so popular they had to be recorded and broadcast to people in the RDS stadium.
So, we shouldn’t be surprised that people want the World Meeting of Families to be more than just a Catholic come-all-ye. Likewise, without intense spiritual preparation, the papal visit would run the risk of simply being a (much-needed) ‘shot in the arm’ rather than a key moment in the renewal of the Church.
Pope Francis’ popularity is so that there would be widespread interest in the visit. Organisers should work from the basic premise that every Irish person who wants to see the Pope or participate in a liturgy with him should be able to do so.
No-one expects the same scenes that accompanied St John Paul II’s 1979 historic visit, but Pope Francis will attract huge crowds. But his popularity could also prove lethal for the long-term success of the visit. If it were to turn in to a jamboree-style event, it could – in fact – short-circuit the kind of authentic Gospel-rooted renewal that the Faith in Ireland so desperately needs.