Irish Examiner view: Great significance in Pope's choice of 'Hope' as the title of his book

We will need a plentiful supply of hope in 2025, and the choice of this word as his autobiographical title by Pope Francis is a reminder of that fact

Pope Francis presiding over Mass in St Peter's Basilica at The Vatican on New Year's Day. Picture: Andrew Medichini/AP

In our ‘snapshot of a town’ series, based on information from the CSO, it is striking how many people continue to claim allegiance to the Catholic Church.

In Mitchelstown (population 3,744), 77% declare themselves as Catholic. In Killarney (pop 14,412), it is 66%. Bantry (pop 2,929) is 65%, while Kenmare (2,566) also returns 65%.