Pope Francis' official itinerary for his pastoral trip to Ireland for the World Meeting of Families on August 25 and 26 has just been announced. And it will be a whirlwind visit for the pontiff, as he crams in meetings, visits and official engagements into the two-day schedule.
His Holiness will depart Rome Fiumicino airport at the 8.15am local time on the morning of August 25. His flight will touch down in Dublin at 10.30am Irish time where he will be given an official welcome before being whisked away to Aras an Uachtarain. At 11.15am, he will enjoy a welcome ceremony in front of the Presidential Residence before spending half an hour on a courtesy visit with President Higgins.
His Holiness will depart Rome Fiumicino airport at the 8.15am local time on the morning of August 25. His flight will touch down in Dublin at 10.30am Irish time where he will be given an official welcome before being whisked away to Aras an Uachtarain. At 11.15am, he will enjoy a welcome ceremony in front of the Presidential Residence before spending half an hour on a courtesy visit with President Higgins.
The pontiff will touch down in Knock at 9.20am before travelling straight to Knock Shrine. He will visit the shrine and say the Angelus in the square in front of the shrine. His flying visit will last just under two hours, with a flight back to Dublin scheduled for 11.15am. He will arrive back in Dublin at 11.50am and attend a lunch with the Papal Delegation. After this, he will travel to Phoenix Park where he will say mass and deliver a homily at 3pm. At the end of the mass, Pope Francis will meet with bishops in the Convent of the Dominican Sisters to wrap up his visit. He will travel to Dublin Airport at 6.30pm and will be given a farewell ceremony here. At 6.45 he will depart Ireland from Rome, arriving back in Italy at 11pm local time.