Your guide to Pope Francis’s visit

Two hundred chalices for Mass A ban on selfie sticks and lasers The Pope’s hectic schedule Full lowdown on the big event

IT’LL take a miracle to outnumber the 1.3 million-strong crowd that witnessed Pope John Paul II on his visit to the Phoenix Park in 1979. Yet given that Papal fever rising, it’s likely that Pope Francis’s twoday visit to Ireland is going to be the biggest event of the summer. Certainly, it’s going to be a huge highlight in the Catholic Church’s calendar. Pope Francis has enjoyed a surge in popularity thanks to his relatively progressive and humble outlook, and the smart money says it will be a bigger gathering than estimates would have us believe.

Here’s everything you wanted to know about the Pope’s visit, but were waiting on someone else to ask.

Q. When does he arrive?

Pope Francis leaves Fiumicino airport in Rome for Dublin at 8.14am – the Papal plane, called Shepherd One, is often chartered via Alitalia – and will land in Dublin Airport at around 10.30am on Saturday. Precedent suggests that the Pope will kiss the ground as soon as he lands on Irish soil – Pope John Paul II made the famous gesture back in 1979.

Q. Then where is he off to?

At 10.45, after an official welcome the Pope will head straight to Áras an Uachtaráin, for a welcome ceremony. It’s thought that he will spend about an hour with the President, his wife Sabina and their two camera-ready dogs Sioda and Bród. After signing the visitors’ book, planting a tree in the grounds of the Áras and posing for photos, there will be a private audience with President Higgins.

Q. Will that be his official duty done for the day?

As if. The Pope won’t get much of a breather, because after that it’s straight to Dublin Castle at midday, where he will meet with authorities, church leaders, diplomatic corps, MEPs, the Council of State, the Taoiseach and Northern Ireland political party leaders. After pressing the flesh and making a speech, Pope Francis will take in a 30-minute visit to St. Mary’s Pro-Cathedral, before mak- ing a private visit to the Capuchin Fathers’ day-centre on Arran Quay at about 4.30pm. It’s thought he will meet around 80 users of the homeless charity.

Q. Sounds relentless. Then what?

After a short break, the Pope will join 70,000 ticket holders at Croke Park for the Festival of Families. Daniel O’Donnell, Nathan Carter, right, Moya Brennan, Paddy Moloney, Celine Byrne, Dana Masters, Andrea Bocelli, The Priests and the Riverdance troupe are just some of the acts providing entertainment. It’s thought that the Pope will only stay for an hour at this event.

Q. How do I get to Croke Park?

The powers that be advise everyone to walk or use public transport if possible, as there will be limited parking in the vicinity of the stadium and a large number of road closures across the city. If you’re going by foot, Croke Park is a 20minute walk from the city centre. By train, the closest mainline station is Drumcondra at the junction of Drumcondra Rd and Clonliffe Rd, a five-minute walk from the stadium. The closest Dart stations are Connolly and Clontarf. Connolly is a 15 to 20-minute walk and Clontarf a 2025 minute walk to the stadium. The closest Luas and Intercity stops are also at Connolly.

If you prefer the Luas, Croke Park is a 16-minute walk from the Connolly Red Line stop or either the Parnell or Marlborough Green Line stops.

Dublin Bus will operate a normal Saturday service with significant diversions. The following Dublin Bus routes serve Croke Park: 1, 7, 11, 13, 14, 16, 27a, 27b, 29a, 31/a, 31b, 32, 33, 40, 40b, 40d, 41, 41b, 41c, 42, 43, 44, 53, 123 and 13.

All Bus Éireann services will operate to and from Busáras or its immediate surrounding areas. From there, you can get a train from Connolly to Drumcondra, connect to Dublin Bus or walk to the stadium in around 25 minutes.

Q. But Sunday is a day of rest in the Catholic Church, right?

Not for its head honcho. Sunday promises to be every bit as hectic. At 8.40am, the Pope departs by plane for Knock.

Arriving at 9.20am, there will be an immediate transfer to the Knock Shrine, where Francis will say the Angelus on the square. Around 45,000 people are expected to travel there to catch a glimpse of His Holiness. Much of Knock will be closed from Saturday evening in advance of the fleeting visit.

Q. And how do I get to Knock?

Public transport is your best bet. And given that trains will be limited, the bus is an even better bet. Knock is served by Bus Éireann routes 440 (Athlone – Knock, Westport – Castlebar – Knock), 421 (Swinford – Kiltimagh– Knock) and 64 (Galway – Knock – Sligo). Additional services will operate on these routes on Saturday, but space will be limited.

Online pre-booking is advised for these services. Normal fares will

apply. Shuttle buses are expected to operate from 6.30am to 2.30pm from Claremorris train station. There are also private coaches operating to Knock: try Kelly Travel, Michael Friel travel and Curran Coaches.

Q. When does he return to Dublin?

At 11.10am, the Pope will return to Knock airport, and will land in Dublin at around 11.50am. He will have lunch with his delegation before heading to the Phoenix Park for the main event.

He will arrive at 2.30pm, and at 3pm he will be the chief celebrant in the special Mass at the site of the Papal Cross. Half a million people are expected to attend, and it should last two hours.

Francis will wear green Celtic-inspired vestments for the Phoenix Park event.

The public will also be able to receive communion both at the Pastoral Congress in the RDS and at the Phoenix Park. Two hundred chalices have been produced by MMI who are based in Dublin. It’s expected to be a relaxed affair, although more than 1,000 nurses, doctors and paramedics will be on call within a 1.5 kilometre radius of the Papal Cross. (It’s been reported that a makeshift mortuary will be built in the park). The Pope will be driven around the park for 30 minutes before the Mass begins and afterwards he will meet with Irish bishops in the Convent of the Dominican Sisters in Cabra. At 6.30pm, he will arrive at Dublin Airport for a farewell ceremony before leaving on an Aer Lingus flight for Ciampino Airport, Rome.

Q. Will we see the Popemobile?

Almost certainly. Although the cars for the last Papal visit in 1979 came from vehicle builders in Cork, it’s thought that two Skoda Popemobiles, left, one for Dublin and one for Knock, will be shipped from the Vatican.

Q. Where will the Pope be staying?

Organisers of the trip will not disclose the Pope’s residence while he is here for security reasons.

Q. How will the visit affect traffic in the city?

Only a fool would attempt to take a car into the city on Sunday. There will be a ‘controlled access zone’ in operation inside the M50 from 6am to 11pm. Expect diversions and closures galore.

Q. How about public transport?

The transport companies will be pulling out the stops to ensure a smooth-ish run from A to B for visitors. Anyone holding a ticket for any of the Pope’s public events can travel for free on public transport on the day of the event.

Q. Can I take a taxi?

Taxis will not be allowed into the traffic exclusion zone in Dublin for the Mass by Pope Francis in the Phoenix Park on Sunday.

The ‘controlled access area’ will be in force from 6am to 11pm that day. All taxi ranks will be operational with the exception of Aston Quay and Heuston Station.

Q. I’m not going to any events, but how will the traffic affect me?

There will be a secure area around Dublin, starting at the M50 from 6am to 11pm on Sunday. If you are planning on driving into Dublin City next Sunday then you should be aware that there will be diversions, road closures and other restrictions in place. You will need to leave plenty of time for any journeys to and across the city from 6am to 11pm.

The centre of Knock will be closed (except to residents), from 6pm on Saturday. See garda.ie for a more exhaustive list of road closures.

Q. What can I not bring into the Phoenix Park on Sunday?

Prohibited items include air horns, animals (other than guide dogs), alcohol, banners, camping equipment, cooler boxes, crash helmets, deck chairs (apart from the cardboard chairs on sale in stores), drones, fireworks, flagpoles, glass bottles, umbrella, laser pens, mobility scooters, selfie sticks, sound systems and spray cans.

Q. How long will it take to get in and out of the Park?

Once you get to a transport hub, the walk to the gate can be up to 75 minutes. It’s thought that you will need to walk from four to seven kilometres to and from the Mass, depending on where you are coming from.

Organisers have warned of a wait of up to an hour at the gate, and an hour’s walk to your corral.

Q. What other events are there?

The World Meeting of Families Pastoral Congress will be the RDS in Ballsbridge, Dublin 4, from Wednesday to Friday.

Q. Are there any ‘alternative’ events?

A ‘solidarity event’, will be held at the Garden Of Remembrance in Dublin, in tandem with the Mass in Phoenix Park, to highlight the thousands of people who experienced abuse by the Catholic Church.

Mary’s Bar on Wicklow Street, Dublin, will be running a week of tongue-in-cheek events including a Father Ted Table Quiz on Wednesday night, while Saturday features ‘pre-Mass pints’.