Hopes fading of Pope Francis visiting Knock Shrine during Irish schedule

POPE Francis has announced his intention to visit Ireland this August.

It will be the second visit by a Pope to Ireland, the first one having been undertaken in the autumn of 1979 by Saint John Paul II.

The announcement mentions just two engagements that Pope Francis intends to fulfil.

They are a visit to the ‘Festival of Families’ in Croke Park on Saturday, August 25, and a Mass which he will celebrate in Dublin’s Phoenix Park the next day.

In a statement, the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference welcomed the announcement, saying that full details of the Pope’s schedule will be announced at a later date.

The World Meeting of Families is taking place in Dublin from August 21 to 26.