Atheist Ireland Forum

28 Nov 2011 for Kerry Radio
Quote:
New organisation to lobby for Pope to visit Ireland

A new Catholic lay organisation, 'Ireland Stand Up' is hoping to convince Taoiseach Enda Kenny to invite the Pope to Ireland next year. The group would like Pope Benedict the Sixteenth to attend the closing ceremonies of the 50th International Eucharistic Congress which will be held in Ireland next June.

They will also be lobbying to maintain the Irish Embassy in Rome. Mary Fitzgibbon from Tralee is a representative with the organisation.
Unquote

Wo will pay for the visit? This new lay organisation? Or again we the taxpayer? Maybe it is advisable to increase the VAT a bit more to cover the costs?

His visit was not even welcomed in his own homeland....so what does he intend to do here, convert Enda Kenny...?

Reflecting on all the cuts being made recently I don't see how the government could justify funding a papal visit

I'm sure papa Benny could afford a Ryan Air flight to Knock Aiprort, or even more likely, I'm err pretty sure Michael O'Leary would give him a free seat.

What about the fiver for the priority?

Is this the same government that justified funding a visit from Elizabeth Windsor?

As much as I dislike Ratzinger and his organisation there would be much more interest from the Irish public in his visit than with Windsors, he mightn't fill the Phoenix Park as his predecessor did in 1979 but there certainly wouldn't be the ghostly empty streets that greeted Mrs Windsor.

Well said Bik!

And her correct title is in repulican terms:

Citizen Elisabeth Battenberg-Windsor !

drifting off topic guys!!

I'm in no way a royalist so I do not respect monarchs. However that visit was very significant in a political sense - the English are our friends now. Many English government officials also visited including their prime minister and minister of foreign affairs so it wasn't just their queen. Coupled with the Obama visit I think it really gave some good, positive media attention for our country after the months of bailout misery.

I'd have to be convinced that a papal visit would benefit our country in a political or economic sense. Personally I think it's outrageous that the RCC doesn't fund the trip, what did it cost the British, £20million?!

I agree. I'm much happier about the positive symbolism of the visit of Queen Bess II than of PB16, although I'm sure it would create some interesting controversy and perhaps form a useful rallying point for "us and our kind".

The Vatican has it's own airline so I don't think he'd have a problem getting a seat on one of his own planes. Obama used his own plane, but unlike Obama the Pope also has his own airport here. And as one of the largest (if not the largest) landowners in the country I doubt he'd be short of a bed either. He's also got his own private army and his own armoured car.

It's none of those things that will stop him coming here next year. If anything it will be the bold faced temerity of your government to dare criticise the Holy See. They have vocally criticised the criticism, but they have yet to refute it!

Generations of their employees have abused generations of our children. They have given scant apologies for the abuse, and zero apologies for covering it up. I think it'll be a cold day in hell before they do, and seeing that they are happily blaming the devil for the 'scourge' of child abuse, I don't think hell is cooling down enough for that apology to even appear on the horizon yet.

It was great to have Aunty Betty visiting, so she could see for herself, how the natives are getting on over here without her.

Apparently the state visits by Obama and the British queen cost us €36million, €16million over budget.

http://www.rte.ie/news/2011/1201/statevisits.html#article

I just read that "The Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs has said he is in no doubt that should Pope Benedict XVI wish to make a State visit to Ireland that it would be responded to positively by the Government."

[source]