Pope Francis faces a struggle this weekend to reinvigorate Ireland鈥檚 confidence in the Catholic Church, in the face of multiple abuse scandals and a new generation shedding traditional mores.
Once a bastion of Roman Catholicism, Ireland is unrecognizable from the country visited by Pope John Paul II almost 40 years ago when divorce was banned and same-sex marriage unheard of.
The Church鈥檚 grip on Irish society has weakened and the papal visit on Saturday and Sunday is a moment for Ireland to take stock of the Church鈥檚 diminished role in national life.
Also unimaginable at the last papal visit to Ireland in 1979: Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, who will meet Pope Francis on Saturday at the start of the visit, is openly gay.
The pope is visiting Ireland for the first time to close the 2018 World Meeting of Families (WMF) 鈥� a global Catholic gathering that takes place every three years.
The pontiff is set to address the catalog of abuse that has dramatically eroded the Church鈥檚 authority in Ireland.
Some 14,500 people have applied for compensation under an official scheme for victims of clerical sex abuse set up in 2002.
Diarmuid Martin, the Archbishop of Dublin, said the visit would be marked by anxiety about the Church in Ireland.
鈥淢y hope is that Pope Francis will challenge the Church in Ireland to be different鈥� in a culture that is different,鈥� the primate of Ireland said in his homily on Sunday.
鈥淭he pope has to speak frankly about our past but also about our future. We need a Church with confidence.鈥�
鈥楧ark chapter of abuse and cover-up鈥櫬�
The highlight of the pope鈥檚 visit is a giant mass in Dublin鈥檚 Phoenix Park on Sunday.
Some 500,000 are expected to attend: a tenth of the population.
Though still a huge crowd, the comparison with John Paul II鈥檚 visit illustrates how times have changed.
In 1979, 1.5 million saw John Paul II in Phoenix Park, a third of the population at the time and probably the largest-ever gathering in Irish history.
Irish society has very publicly rejected Church teaching in two recent referendums.
In 2015, 62 percent voted in favor of legalizing same-sex marriage.
And this year on May 25, 66 percent voted in favor of lifting the constitutional ban on abortion imposed after a referendum in 1983.
These were seen as watershed moments but for some, they confirmed a change in Irish society that had long since taken place.
At an annual national commemoration service on Sunday, Agriculture Minister Michael Creed praised the widening split between Church and state.
鈥淭he Church assumed control of social policy with the aid of an acquiescent government and a cowed people,鈥� he said.
鈥淭his dark chapter of abuse and cover-up has seen a deep rift emerge between many of the faithful and the official Church.
鈥淭he steady separation of Church and state in recent times is good for both.鈥�
鈥楴ope to the Pope鈥�
The pope will go to Archbishop Martin鈥檚 pro-Cathedral in Dublin on Saturday and pray in a chapel dedicated to abuse survivors.
The Vatican said Tuesday that Pope Francis would also meet with victims.
The announcement came the day after he condemned the 鈥渁trocities鈥� revealed by a far-reaching US report into clerical child sex abuse in Pennsylvania.
鈥淢y hope is that he will speak kindly but also speak frankly. The recent history of the Church in Ireland had its moments of real darkness,鈥� Martin said.
鈥淚t is not enough just to say sorry. Structures that permit or facilitate abuse must be broken down and broken down forever,鈥� he said.
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican secretary of state, said the Irish Church had 鈥渞ecognised its failures鈥� and had implemented measures to prevent recurrences.
Pope Francis鈥檚 visit is 鈥渁 journey of hope, to help the Church in Ireland,鈥� he said.
鈥淲e can really change and we can build a society in which the children and the vulnerable persons are secure.鈥�
The pope will address the WMF at Croke Park, the 82,000-capacity Gaelic games stadium, on Saturday.
On Sunday, he will visit the rural Knock shrine before the Phoenix Park mass.
However, the 鈥淪ay Nope to the Pope鈥� campaign saw people snap up some of the 500,000 free tickets with no intention of going, as a form of peaceful protest.
They will hold a separate event in the city center.
The One in Four abuse survivors鈥� support organization 鈥� which says as many as one in four adults have experienced some form of sexual abuse before the age of 18 鈥� is attending the alternative gathering.
鈥淭he pope鈥檚 visit is very distressing to many survivors, retriggering old emotions of shame, humiliation, despair, and anger,鈥� said executive director Maeve Lewis.
鈥淭he least they deserve during this papal visit is a clear commitment that the Catholic Church finally intends to deal with clerical child sexual abuse.鈥澛� 聽/vvp