Document hints at Ulster papal visit
THE pope’s expected visit to the Republic next year could see him cross the border for the first time and visit Northern Ireland, a Foreign Office memo has suggested.
The memo, released under the Freedom of Information Act, is an overview of how last year’s papal visit to Britain was received and looks ahead to how any future visit would be handled.
In the document – which has been redacted to remove the name of the author – it is suggested that it was “inevitable” that there would now be focus on the potential for Pope Benedict XVI to visit Northern Ireland.
It says: “It is perhaps inevitable that focus will now shift to a possible visit by the pope to Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland has not been included in previous papal itineraries (1979 visit to Ireland and 1982 to UK).
“The deputy first minister of Northern Ireland has recently mentioned the prospect of a visit. A papal visit to Northern Ireland would take place in the context of a visit to Ireland as it is treated by all the main Christian churches as a single ecclesiastical unit.
“There is a possible peg for a papal visit to Ireland in 2012 when Dublin will host a major international Catholic event – the Eucharist Congress.”
However, the document, which is signed ‘Campbell’ and appears to have been written in the immediate aftermath of the September papal visit, adds: “There is still no indication from here that a visit to Ireland is under serious consideration.”
In response to a freedom of information request, the Office of the First and Deputy First Minister said that it held no documentation about the possibility of a future papal visit.
Last week Catholic Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin insisted that there are no plans “at the moment” for a visit by the pope to Dublin next year.
However, Dr Martin did confirm that Pope Benedict XVI had been invited to visit Ireland by Cardinal Sean Brady on behalf of the Irish Bishops’ Conference.
He said that Pope Benedict’s attendance would depend on factors such as the state of his health.
The Orange Order and Free Presbyterian Church protested against last year’s papal visit to Britain, while Peter Robinson and Martin McGuinness declined an invitation to meet both the pope and the Queen in Edinburgh.
Samuel Morrison, who uncovered the information, called on First Minister Peter Robinson to publicly say that he would block a papal visit.
Mr Morrison, who is a TUV press officer but said he was speaking in a personal capacity, said: “There will be many in Northern Ireland who share my belief that we can ill afford a visit by the pope to Northern Ireland.
“His visit to the UK mainland last year cost taxpayers almost £7 million. Will Northern Ireland be forced to cough up a similar figure? It is worth remembering that the public were largely indifferent when the Bishop of Rome came to Great Britain.
“Additionally, while I as a convinced Protestant would not welcome a visit by the pope at any time, one has to ask why the pope did not visit Northern Ireland as part of his trip to the UK rather than including it as part of a visit to the Irish Republic.
“Does the Vatican recognise the constitutional status of Northern Ireland as part of the UK?”
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Tuesday 29 May 2012
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