Meeting marked by emotion for Sabina

President and wife welcome Pope Francis

Higgins ‘welcomed Pope’s forthright language’ With gratitude for the warm welcome I have received, I assure you and the people of Ireland of my prayers that Almighty God may guide and protect you all.

IRELAND’S First Lady became emotional when bidding farewell to Pope Francis after a warm meeting between the President, his wife and the Holy See.

Pope Francis met Michael D Higgins and his wife Sabina on the first stop of his twoday visit to Ireland.

Shortly after touching down at Dublin Airport for the first visit of a Pontiff to Ireland in almost 40 years, Pope Francis arrived at Áras an Uachtaráin in a Skoda car. He was greeted by Mr and Mrs Higgins. The greeting party also included Katherine Zappone, the Government minister with responsibility for children and youth affairs. An Irish Army band played the national anthems of Vatican City and Ireland during the arrival ceremony.

Moving inside the Áras, the pontiff signed the visitors’ book before entering a private meeting with Mr Higgins. A spokesman for Mr Higgins said that during the meeting, the President raised with the Pope the ‘immense suffering and hurt caused by child sex abuse perpetrated by some within the Catholic Church’.

In a statement issued after the meeting, the spokesman said Mr Higgins told Pope Francis of the ‘anger which had been conHoliness veyed to him at what was perceived to be the impunity enjoyed by those who had the responsibility of bringing such abuses for action by the appropriate authorities and have not done so’.

‘The President welcomed the honest and forthright language that His used when addressing the issue in his recent Letter to the People of God,’ the spokesman for the President said.

‘He conveyed to Pope Francis the widely held view that all would benefit from a set of actions that gave the necessary assurances to all citizens past, present and future, of all faiths and none.’

The two men also agreed on the importance of protecting vulnerable communities and individuals, and discussed issues including homelessness, health, education and nutrition.

This was the third time that Pope Francis and Mr Higgins have met. They met at the Vatican in 2017.

The Pope ended his visit to Áras an Uachtaráin by planting a tree in the grounds of the house. However, it was on his departure that Mrs Higgins appeared to become emotional, with the heightened feelings of the day appearing visibly on her face.