Watch: Pope Francis mirrors John Paul II by planting oak tree in Áras
Pope Francis planted an Irish oak tree on the grounds of Áras an Uachtaráin during his visit, became the second Pope to plant a tree on the presidential grounds.
The Pontiff was greeted by president Michael D Higgins and his wife Sabina, and the tree-planting ceremony got under way after the Pope was greeted at the president’s official residence.
Francis planted an Irish oak tree on the lawn in front of the south portico, mirroring Pope John Paul II who planted an Irish oak on the same lawn during the last papal visit in 1979.
The tree-planting tradition dates back to Queen Victoria, who planted the first official tree on the grounds in the mid-1800s.
Other dignitaries who have planted trees on the lawn at Áras an Uachtaráin include former US presidents John F Kennedy and Barack Obama and Queen Elizabeth II.
Both the Queen and President Obama planted English oak trees during their visits to Ireland in 2011.
Ireland’s first president Douglas Hyde planted a Cornish elm on the north lawn of Aras in 1939.
Since then, each of the country’s nine presidents has planted an official tree on the grounds of the residence.
