Pope Francis heads to Ireland amid a mix of anticipation and anguish over sex abuse
DUBLIN — Roisin Galvin was 12 years old the last time a pope came to say Mass at Dublin’s vast public space, Phoenix Park.
The year was 1979, and the pontiff was a still-vigorous John Paul II. He was greeted enthusiastically by an overwhelmingly Catholic population.
Back then, all of Ms. Galvin’s friends went to Mass regularly, but now she finds it difficult to raise her five children Catholic in a culture in which many Irish have left the faith or keep it in name only.
“There is only one Mass where I live on a Sunday, and all the priests are very elderly, “said Ms. Galvin, who lives in a village in County Dublin. “I’m wondering what’s going to happen. Most of them are octogenarians. “
She took heart from this week’s international gathering known as the World Meeting of Families, which offered plenty of training, exhibits, encouragement and
worshipful gatherings.
The conference, which occurs every three years and supports church teachings about the family, typically draws the pope at its conclusion.
Pope Francis is scheduled to arrive Saturday for a twoday visit to Ireland, the first since John Paul II four decades ago.
The last World Meeting of Families took place in Philadelphia in 2015. Pope Francis was greeted by throngs along Philadelphia’s streets, the new pope’s popularity still strong.
The visit inspired the hope that the Archdiocese of Philadelphia could finally turn the corner from scandal over sexual abuse exposed by earlier grand jury investigations.
And yet Pennsylvania itself now looms like a dark cloud over the visit of the pope here.
Earlier this week, Pope Francis acknowledged and apologized for widespread sexual abuse by priests across seven decades in the Keynote State.
He was reacting to a landmark statewide grand jury report earlier this month stating that more than 1,000 children were sexually abused by more than 300 priests across six Pennsylvania dioceses, including Pittsburgh and Greensburg.
The letter from the pope attempted to address the report in advance of his visit. Critics said it lacked specific remedies to the crisis.
The news from Pennsylvania has reopened deep wounds in this historic Catholic stronghold, where membership has declined amid wave after wave of revelations of calamitous abuse in church settings.
The Pennsylvania report, combined with the revelations of sexual abuse by disgraced former cardinal Theodore McCarrick of Washington, have prompted calls worldwide for holding not just predator priests accountable but the bishops who enabled them.
Cardinal Donald Wuerl of Washington canceled a scheduled appearance at the World Meeting of Families after the report criticized his handling of abuse cases when he was bishop of Pittsburgh.
Marie Collins, an Irish survivor of sexual abuse, told a World Meeting of Families session that some still believe the scandal is a media conspiracy to destroy the church. “I’m hoping that at this point, where they didn’t believe survivors, they will at least believe the pope,” she said.
During his visit, Pope Francis is expected to meet privately with some victims of abuse.
He will also meet with dignitaries, attend a stadium festival, visit a Marian shrine and conclude with a Mass with an expected 500,000 people in attendance in Phoenix Park.
The news has knocked church leaders deeply on the defensive, not just in the Republic but throughout the island.
Bishop Donal McKeown of Derry in Northern Ireland told RTE television here: “I just cringe with embarrassment and shame for what has happened to people. There’s nothing I can say that can ameliorate it or soften it. “
The international group Ending Clergy Abuse has called for Pope Francis to replace the head of his commission overseeing child protection, citing inadequate results and a lack of accountability for higher-ups.
So much has been discussed in media about the abuse crisis that other potential landmines for this visit have received less attention.
Ireland is the first country to have legalized gay marriage by popular vote, and it also recently legalized abortion.
Census figures say the Catholic portion of Ireland’s population has dropped six points to 78 precent since 2011, and down further from more than 90 percent two decades ago.
Many attribute this to the abuse scandals, but Mrs. Galvin believes that’s only part of it.
Ireland enjoyed economic growth for years before and after the turn of the millennium, earning the nickname Celtic Tiger.
“Money became God,” she said.