Aileen O’ Reilly
FREELANCE journalist Aileen O’Reilly, 46, left, wanted to wear her Communion dress to the Phoenix Park so Pope John Paul II would notice, her but she had to make do with her rain-jacket. She says: ‘I’D only ever read about popes in the history books so I believed he was 400 years old and was like a “good Dracula”. He could do magic and make people walk again and he had that strange accent. To me he was like a superhero, I believed he could fly with his white cape. I was totally overwhelmed at the thought of this magician coming to visit us and I spent weeks cutting out photographs of him from the newspapers.
We stayed in my granny’s twobedroom cottage in Inchicore the night before. I felt so lucky, thinking that some people had travelled all the way from America but we were so close by. I felt so special.
We set off in the dark, around 5am. I was seven, my little sister Grace was only four and my brother David was ten but my parents are amazing. We had five fold-up chairs and we had the big Irish picnic packed and the whole nine yards.
I wanted to be in my Communion finery but had to wear my rainjacket — though I made sure to wear my fancy embroidered knee socks. I was close enough to see Pope John Paul II in the Popemobile and was convinced he looked at me.
I genuinely thought everyone from the world was there and if he had the power to draw all of them, he must be magic. I wondered what time the people in America had started walking. The closest I got to him was
around 300ft away, but once I saw him I felt like I was floating. My parents had explained to us he was a really, really good, kind man who helps people.
What this visit means to me now is disruption. Isn’t that awful? I still have my own belief system but I don’t agree with the money being spent as there are people who could really do with that help.
I’d still want to do right by people but my belief in those running the show has changed. I pray but don’t go to Church. I question things a lot more now.
Pope Francis would gain a lot of respect during his visit if he addressed what’s coming out now with the abuse in America properly and not just saying isn’t it awful and hand-wringing.
What about the poor innocent, precious children?’