KERRY PILGRIMS ON A MISSION TO SEE POPE FRANCIS
BEING THERE FELT LIKE I WAS TAKING A LITTLE PIECE OF HEAVEN AWAY WITH ME: EMMA MHIC MHATHÚNA
THEY travelled by bus, plane and car to Dublin and to Knock. From the north of the diocese to the southern tip they left at day break, returning in the early hours tired but enriched by the experience. Absent was the weather of early June, which would have made a better pilgrim’s friend. But weather never stood a chance of spoiling this trip.
It was a poignant moment for many when the terminally ill Emma Mhic Mhathúna and her five children brought gifts to the alter during Sunday’s Papal Mass. Even after all that’s happened to Emma, the Dingle women insists on keeping the faith.
“I was very honoured to participate in the mass with my children. We’re one gang the six of us,” she said. Emma described being around Pope Francis as special.
“You can tell he’s holy, you can tell he’s blessed. It doesn’t matter what religion you are; it’s nice to have something to fall back on. It was such a magical moment, one I’ll never forget. Being there felt like I was taking a little piece of heaven away with me,” she said.
Along with Emma, history will show that Kerry people played their own little cameo during the visit. The Begley’s from west Kerry, over 130 people from across the diocese formed part of the Papal choir – all to entertain the pontiff during his visit to Croke Park at the World Meeting of Families.
Thousands more travelled to see Pope Francis and to retrace their steps and relive the memories of John Paul’s visit in ‘79. For others it was the first time, while many more left the county to form part of the protests against the church’s handling of child abuse. They wanted Pope Francis to show atonement for the Vatican’s inaction and betrayal of innocence during Ireland’s darkest hour.
Some parishioners joined together pledging to reclaim the faith from too much negativity. The media was accused of being overly fixated on the ‘ low’ numbers that turned out to see Pope Francis, while overlooking the significance for the individual. The Pope asked for Ireland’s forgiveness in his homily. Only those who suffered have the final say on this.
History will show it was a visit that meant different things to different people. A far cry from 1979. This time was different: a Papal visit divided somewhere between devotion on the one hand, and redemption on the other.