Mayo woman recalls honour of meeting Pope Francis in Knock
A Mayo woman has recalled being given the special honour of welcoming Pope Francis to Knock Airport when he visited Ireland in 2018.
The 88-year-old pontiff died yesterday after a cerebral stroke that led to a coma and irreversible heart failure, the Vatican said. His funeral will take place on Saturday.
Mary McCarthy, from Charlestown, Co Mayo, was given the special honour of welcoming Pope Francis to Knock Airport in 2018.
Speaking on RTÉ's Oliver Callan programme, she said that she could not believe her family were chosen, and enjoyed shaking hands with him and greeting him.
The pontiff visited Ireland for two days in August 2018, which included a visit to Knock, a meeting with victims of clerical abuse, and a visit to a homeless centre run by the Capuchin order.
Ms McCarthy explained that he gave her family rosary beads and that asked them to pray for him, but he was not preaching in his approach.
"He seemed like a man that was just like us. There was a great aura about him about him, of peace and joy."
She said that she took peace in the fact that he died over Easter, and he pushed himself to say goodbye to everyone.
"I think he will be a Saint in time," she added.
Survivors of abuse 'painted a picture for Pope'
Speaking on RTÉ's Oliver Callan programme, survivor of clerical abuse, former Independent councillor Damian O'Farrell, who met Pope Francis in 2018, said he was wary about attending at the beginning, due to trauma.
He said that the survivors of abuse painted a picture for the Pope in telling him what they had gone through in terms of the depravity and cruelty and what they endured.
"He wasn't aware of the Magdelene laundries at all, and he was ashamed. He hadn't been briefed and he was disappointed and embarrassed about that. He knew it was bad form on his behalf," said Mr O'Farrell.
He said that the meeting made them see the Pope as a human being, and that he was competing to be in charge among traditionalists and had a limited time in leadership.
"There's a lot more to do but he brought the baton further than any Pope before him, but possibly not far enough," added Mr O'Farrell.
Francis introduced a sense of openness, says Redemptorist priest
Speaking on the same programme, Fr Tony Flannery, a member of the Redemptorist congregation, said that Pope Francis brought an enormous freedom to the church in terms of being able to speak your mind without fear.
He said that Pope Francis changed the atmosphere and introduced a sense of openness.
"He did as much as I could have possibly have hoped from him. I don't hold anything against him, quite the opposite."
In 2012, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith instructed the Redemptorist authorities to remove Fr Flannery indefinitely from his priestly ministry.
The redemptorist priest was silenced by the Vatican for publicly expressing support for women's ordination and same-sex marriage, as well as liberal views on homosexuality.
Fr Flannery said that if it had not been 2012 and had been more modern times, this would not have happened but he did not hold it against Pope Francis for not intervening in his case.
Varadkar praises Pope Francis for reaching out to gay community
Former taoiseach Leo Varadkar praised Pope Francis for reaching out to the LGBT+ community, saying it made him feel "more comfortable" going to church services.
Mr Varadkar, who was taoiseach from 2017 to 2020 and again from 2022 to 2024, met Francis during the Pope's visit to Ireland in 2018.
The former Fine Gael leader introduced his partner, Matt, to the Pope during their meeting.
In 2023, Francis stated that laws criminalising homosexuality were "unjust" and that "being homosexual isn't a crime".
Speaking on Today with Philip Boucher Hayes, Mr Varadkar said: "I think the way he reached out to groups like ours, like LGBT people, did matter and certainly made me feel more comfortable going to church services," Mr Varadkar said.
"One thing he did, which I think was significant, was he spoke out against criminalisation of gay and lesbian people.
"In Ireland, it's easy to forget that while there are 30 countries where gay people can get married, there are 70 where it's still a crime.
"For the Pope to speak out against that in places like Africa, is actually a real significance - and bear in mind, at the moment, in politics around the world there are people who claim that God is on their side while they try to reduce the rights of LGBT people, while they try to treat migrants badly, while they try to deny climate action.
"Having a pope, the head of the largest Christian church, saying that refugees should be sheltered, saying that our planet was sick and that we needed to act to save it, saying that LGBT people should not be criminalised - that that did matter.
"I do hope that [his] successor is of a similar mind," added Mr Varadkar.
Pope was not afraid to go against the current - Senator
In a statement, Senator Rónán Mullen said: "I had the honour of meeting Pope Francis on numerous occasions when attending the annual Catholic legislators' network meeting in Rome.
"In recent years I was deeply impressed by his generosity and self-giving as he insisted on meeting all present even when he was clearly tired and struggling.
"I recall his words on one occasion when we met: 'Andate contro il corrente' (Go against the current). Pope Francis practised what he preached. He was not afraid to go against powerful currents of opinion when fidelity to the Gospel was at stake.
"His unambiguous championing of the dignity of every human life from its beginning to the natural end, his love for the poor and those 'on the peripheries' in every way, his emphasis on God's tender mercy and his concern for all of creation, will continue to inspire and challenge us all," he added.
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