Taoiseach cannot directly invite Pope to visit Ireland

TAOISEACH Bertie Ahern will not make a direct invitation to Pope Benedict XVI to visit Ireland when he is received for a private audience in the Vatican this morning.

While Mr Ahern would warmly welcome a visit by the Pope to Ireland, protocol dictates that such an invitation can only be made by Irish bishops.

Pope Benedict’s predecessor, John Paul II, had made a commitment to visit Ireland for a second time, before he was struck down by his final illness.

And there are expectations that the new Pope may include Ireland in the itinerary for one of his first visits abroad from Italy, after Germany and Poland.

The Pope will receive the Taoiseach for a private meeting in his library at the Vatican at 11am (local time) this morning.

Mr Ahern will be one of the first political leaders to visit the Pope since his inauguration in April.

Their meeting this morning is expected to be dominated by a discussion on church-state relationships, especially in light of the changed political landscape in Europe, if and when the proposed Constitutional Treaty is ratified.

Mr Ahern is also expected to discuss the latest political developments in Northern Ireland with the Pope.

On Tuesday, the Taoiseach said that the Pontiff has “a long interest in matters in Northern Ireland.”

“He has been in the Vatican through all of the periods when we had dialogue so I hope to be able to update him not only on where we are but also where we hope to be in the future,” Mr Ahern said.

Immediately after meeting the Pope, the Taoiseach will meet Cardinal Angelo Sodano, the Vatican Secretary of State. He will then visit the tomb of John Paul II under St Peter’s Basilica, where he will lay flowers.