Would A Million Irish People Still Turn Out For The Pope Today? Episode 744

Niall is joined by priest and commentator Father Gabriel Burke to discuss the possibility of Pope Leo XIV visiting Ireland after Taoiseach Micheál Martin officially invited the pontiff to come here. While no official visit has yet been confirmed, the mere suggestion has already sparked fierce debate online, with some people saying “he’s not welcome here,” while many practising Christians say they would proudly line the streets to welcome him.

The conversation looks back at the historic 1979 visit of Pope John Paul II when over a million people gathered in Dublin’s Phoenix Park for an open-air Mass in what became one of the biggest events in Irish history. But Ireland has changed dramatically since then. Church attendance has collapsed, trust in the Catholic Church has been severely damaged by decades of sex abuse scandals and cover-ups, and younger generations are far less connected to organised religion than their parents or grandparents.

Niall asks whether Ireland would still turn out in huge numbers for a papal visit or whether that era is now gone forever. Has the relationship between Ireland and the Catholic Church been damaged beyond repair, or are people too quick to dismiss the faith of ordinary Catholics who still feel proud of their religion? And if the Pope did arrive in Dublin tomorrow, would you be attending the Mass, protesting the visit, or simply not interested anymore because that holy ship has already sailed?