Pope Francis has declined to approve the ordination of married men to address the priest shortage in the Amazon, sidestepping a fraught issue that has dominated debate in the Catholic Church and even involved retired Pope Benedict XVI.

One In Four has said it may never know what happened to people it had to "turn away" last year when it closed its waiting list because it could not cope with demand from victims of sexual abuse.

Pope Francis has declined to accept the resignation of French Cardinal Philippe Barbarin as archbishop of Lyon after he was convicted of failing to report a known predator priest to police, the Vatican said.

40 Years after the visit of Pope John Paul II to Ireland, Pat Fitzpatrick looks back at that era and asks men who share the Pope’s name what they think of the big changes during their lifetime

Pope Francis said he has decided to open up the Vatican archives on Second World War-era pontiff Pius XII, who has been accused by Jews of staying silent on the Holocaust.

The declaration by Pope Francis, describing paedophilia as one of the “vilest” of crimes, is the clearest indication yet that he may be prepared finally to tackle the issue of child sex abuse within the Catholic Church.

A call by Pope Francis for clerical paedophiles to turn themselves in has been described as a “non-runner” by the head of an agency for child sexual abuse survivors.

Pope Francis has vowed that the Catholic Church will "never again" cover up clergy sex abuse and demanded that priests who have raped and molested children turn themselves in.

Leo Varadkar’s speech on Saturday was a powerful affirmation of what a modern Ireland must look like, says Fergus Finlay.

What everyone really wanted though was for Francis to arrive, and when he did, a roar went up as a giant TV screen showed him stepping on board the Pope Mobile.

It is estimated that around 200,000 people turned out at the Phoenix Park yesterday for the Papal Mass.

The Pope is to study a report into the Tuam mother and baby home given to him on his Irish visit.

The toxic issue of clerical child sexual abuse, unavoidably, dominated Pope Francis’ short visit to Ireland.

A large crowd has gathered for a silent vigil in Co Galway to coincide with the Papal mass in Dublin.

Catholics in Northern Ireland were left disappointed when the details of the Pope’s visit revealed he was not going to travel north.

Francis flew to the west of Ireland to visit the holy shrine of Knock.

Francis said the crimes committed by members of the church had left an ‘open wound’.

A manager at the shrine explains the meaning behind the pilgrimage site.

Pope Francis has warned people of the threat social media poses to relationships.

The last time a pope was in Ireland, Vincent Gamble, 77, was helping out as a steward in the Phoenix Park while his wife, Teresa, 75, was at home expecting the couple's fifth child, a little girl who was born a week later.

Things are far from perfect in Ireland when it comes to issues of child protection, but we have made a lot of strides in the right direction, writes Daniel McConnell.

Latest: The Taoiseach has said Pope Francis must follow up his words with actions.

Czech carmaker Škoda has unveiled a specially commissioned stained-glass car to celebrate the Pope’s visit to Ireland.

The Taoiseach has called on the church to introduce mandatory reporting for child sexual abuse.

With less than a week to go to the papal visit, one of the leaders of the Catholic Church in Ireland has defended the Pope’s record of dealing with clerical child abuse, saying Francis is up against the might of the Vatican.

The steady separation of Church and State is good for both, the Agriculture Minister has said ahead of the Pope’s visit to Ireland.