COMMENT: Ireland has changed radically since 1979

WHILE it was widely expected that Pope Francis would visit these shores in 2018, I must confess that I was somewhat taken aback by confirmation of not only a scheduled appearance in Croke Park for the Festival of Families, but a papal mass in the expansive pastures of the Phoenix Park, no less.

As a 10-year-old child, I was one of the million-strong crowd brought by my parents to see Pope John Paul II in the park in 1979. I recall excitement reaching fever pitch as the Aer Lingus 747 carrying the pontiff descended on Dublin, accompanied by the Irish Air Corp. We were herded into seatless train carriages like livestock as we began the long pilgrimage to the Phoenix Park, the hardship just about assuaged by the promise of a bag of Tayto and a fizzy drink.

When we got there, the pope was so far away that we had to be content to listen to his broken English through crackling loudspeakers. For all we knew, he could have been saying the mass as Gaeilge. The event had the air of a rock festival, a kind of catholic Woodstock. Afterwards, as the Popemobile snaked slowly through the crowd, we struggled fruitlessly to get a glimpse of the holiest man alive.

With heavy hearts, we trudged back into the city centre with the masses, our whinging levels increasing exponentially with every step. But then a miracle happened – or so we like to believe. As we reached Sean McDermot Street, who should pass by but Pope John Paul II himself. I was convinced that he waved and smiled in our direction when we called out to him.

Catholicism was at the peak of its powers in Ireland at the time. This was the era before our faith would be challenged at every turn by shocking revelations of child sex abuse within the church. Then, of course, was the doublespeak hypocrisy of clerics like Fr Michael Cleary and Bishop Eamonn Casey whose actions brought the institution into further disrepute.

Much has changed since Pope John Paul II looked out across the endless sea of worshippers on September 29, 1979. Significantly, two women have since held the presidency and resided nearby in Áras An Uachtaráin, close to where he offered up mass that fine autumn's day. Mary McAleese's recent attack on the Catholic Church's shabby treatment of women will still be fresh in our minds when Pope Francis comes to town in August.

So, two female presidents and one openly gay Taoiseach later, the pope will experience a very different Ireland time around. The papal visit will understandably attract criticism in some quarters, particularly from survivors of church sexual abuse. But given that we are still predominantly a catholic country, Pope Francis can expect to receive a largely positive reception. 

For people of faith, the visit will provide memories to cherish; opponents of the church will air their views and simply stay away from official events.

Personally, I would be hugely surprised if we get anything like the crowds that flocked to see the pope in the Phoenix Park in 1979.  

Then again, I could be proved wrong on that.