Colm Fitzpatrick
Generations both young and old are equally likely to attend Pope Francis’ Mass in Phoenix Park this summer in celebration of the World Meeting of Families (WMOF), a new survey has revealed. The study which was carried out by Claire Byrne Live shows that one in five Irish people (18%) plan on attending the Pope’s closing Mass at the gathering of families on August 26.
The figures also found that those most enthusiastic about the Pope’s visit were aged over 55, with 24% in that category signalling they would attend the Mass, whereas the category least likely to attend were in the 25-34 age bracket, at 14%.
Notably, there was no statistical disparity between the age groups 18-24 and 45-54, with 17% in both categories planning to attend the Mass, indicating that among these age groups young and old people are equally interested in Catholic faith and affairs.
The results tally with recent figures from the European Social Survey (ESS) which found that 54% of young adults aged between 16-29 in Ireland have a Catholic affiliation and that one-in-ten young Irish Catholics attend religious services on a weekly basis.
The previous visit by a pontiff to Ireland was in 1979 when Pope John Paul II said Mass at the same venue to a crowd of 1.25 million people.