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.