DUBLIN (CNS): Pope John Paul II has accepted “in principle” an invitation to visit Ireland, but the Vatican said the acceptance does not mean a papal trip is a sure thing.
A Vatican official told Catholic News Service on July 19 that “the Holy Father accepts all invitations ‘in principle’, but no dates have been set” and a variety of factors, including the 84 year-old Pope’s health, must be considered.
The Pope received the invitation from Archbishops Diarmuid Martin of Dublin and Sean Brady of Armagh, Northern Ireland in June.
The invitation was offered with the hope that the Pope would arrive by September 29, the 25th anniversary of the Pope’s first trip to Ireland. However, Archbishop Brady said that a visit this year was unlikely because of the Pope’s commitments for the remainder of the year.
Bishop John Magee of Cloyne, Ireland, told CNS that there were no formal plans in Ireland for a potential papal trip.
The governments of the Irish Republic and Great Britain have not formally invited the Pope.
