where john oak tree near the spot wherejohn paul ii oak tree near the spot wherejohn paul ii planted a tree on his visit to ireland in 1979. he is accompanied by the irish president at his official residence in phoenix park in the city. i'll be bringing you all the latest live from dublin. and i'm shaun ley — the other headlines this hour... women in england are to be allowed to take the second of two early abortion pills in their own homes instead of in a clinic. holiday—makers arrive home after being flown back early from an egyptian hotel, following the unexplained deaths of a british couple. thousands of rohingya muslim refugees have taken part in a demonstration marking one year since their exodus from myanmar, following a military crackdown. the family of nazanin zaghari—ratcliffe, a british—iranian woman imprisoned in iran on spying charges, are fighting for her three—day temporary release to be extended. it's always been steps forward and steps back, so we shouldn't get too ahead of ourselves. but hopefully, it will be a good day today and tomorrow. and later, we'll be visiti

i was in knock in 1979 when pope john paul ii came. i was 1979 when pope john paul ii came. to the media to bring water bottles to the media to bring water bottles to them to make sure that they did not get thirsty and provided their services. now you are talking to the media about this papal visit. i guess you could not have predicted that, back then! it has been interesting to hear details overnight of the conversations the pope has had with abuse survivors, spending 90 minutes with those eight abuse survivors yesterday evening in dublin. what did you make of the details we have heard? we have not heard much, and that is appropriate because it is a personal conversation. some victims and survivors have told their stories and it seems there have been deeply emotional and personal for each of them. i emotional and personal for each of them. lam emotional and personal for each of them. i am delighted that did happen. i cannot understand why it was happen. i cannot understand why it was not happen. i cannot understand why it was not announced happen. i cannot understand why it

when popejohn paul ii came in1979, he coffin.ted a golden rose. now pope francis is presenting the rosary beads, they will be on display for pilgrims coming to the site for years ahead. we are now going to pray, also a very important prayer which is a prayer which is done at noon. in rome, it is done at noon. we are doing it slightly earlier because of the schedule in knock. he is probably here meeting a lot of the people who volunteered to work in knock. there is someone in a wheelchair there, symbolising the important ministry of care for the disabled and sick in knock. they have come here not always expecting that they will be healed but get inner strength and resilience. this is such an important work for pope francis, accompanying people. speaking yesterday at the shelter for the homeless, he really made a strong statement. the only one he has made so far to priests accompanying people in their vulnerability. be there for them and don't put impossible demands on people. and the crowd that was cheering a few minutes ago now s

back in 1979, nearly a0 yea rs paul ii back in 1979, nearly a0 years ago.n that time, the relationship between the people, the state and the church hierarchy has become much more complicated, much

it is almost a0 years sincejohn paul ii came here in 1979.e he was speaking. it was the mother of all trafficjams at that time. there was mass adulation, but it was before any of these scandals that have beset the catholic church came to light. pope francis also massively popular, but in ireland generally, and in many other parts of the world where there isa other parts of the world where there is a strong presence of the catholic church, there have been changing attitudes to the church as a result of those scandals. that is the irish deputy prime minister. he is also the foreign minister. the protocol is that someone senior from the government meets distinguished guests when the queen came here last time, she was greeted by the then irish deputy prime minister. the predecessor of simon coveney. and the irish prime minister, of course, has talked about opening up in the new chapter in the state and the catholic church, and that relationship has been linked to closely. leo varadkar argues that. he has called for more separation in that relatio

let's compare john paul ii with francis. john paul ii grew up. under communism. he knew what that kind of system would do. and he wrote some of the greatest support. i think he's very colored. i think when he hears the word capitalism he thinks urgent here capitalism. it's not the competitive kind of capitalism that most of us think of. i think it's called the pictured -- picture of society. they draw on that team that team in great detail showing exactly pope francis he just used it different than the economists who are writing it. we are in agreement to him. the crony capitalism is not good task. it dropped argentina from the proper ranks of the society now. is that what we want at all. the pope has talked quite a bit from in quinn -- income inequality. what is your view. income inequality i think we all are agreed that poverty is something that is there. they are living on a dollar a day is a bad thing. and capitalism is a great track record for eliminating that kind of absolute poverty. poverty could be a good thing. "of this harder to pin down what the optim

visit to ireland by pope francis, the first visit by a pope to the country since 1979 back when john paul iie. hundreds of thousands of catholics are going to be welcoming the pope over the course of the two days particularly in events at croke park later today, normally the scene of major sporting events and concerts and in phoenix park in the city tomorrow and of course this visit although the main reason for it is attendance at this world meeting of families which is organised by the catholic church every three years, undoubtedly it is being dominated by what he has already said and what he's going to saying about the abuse of children by priests, the cover—ups of that abuse and other scandals that have set the catholic church in the decades sincejohn paul ii was here. we will have much more on all of that for you and an appraisal of what pope francis has said so far in a few moments. first this report from emma va rdy. descending on dublin this morning, shepherd one, the papal plane. this is ireland's first visit from the pope in four decades. and welcoming the head of the catholic churc

a different atmosphere from 1979, and the adulation that greeted john paul ii. of that to you. right now, back to the studio. thank you very much. now on bbc news, it's time for the travel show. mauritius, a force of nature in the middle of the indian ocean. mauritius is marking the 50th year of independence from british colonial rule, but the intriguing, rich and sometimes dark story of this island nation goes back way before then. 0n myjourney, i'm going to explore the history of mauritius. see and taste how multiculturalism works here. mmmm, that is nice. this island is so often labelled as just a luxury beach paradise, but the reality is so much more fascinating than that. mauritius, gorgeous beaches, turquoise waters and lush vegetation, but the human story is just as awe—inspiring. le morne mountain, on the south—west of the island, faces in the direction of madagascar and stands 555 metres high. it's also at a a5—degree incline. no walk in the park. for the likes of me, this is a challenging climb, i've got to say. in fact, i'd say for anybody it's challe

but the ireland that pope francis is visiting is so different from the one that popejohn paul ii visited in 1979. there have been so many changes, including most recently, the referendum in which people here voted by two thirds to a third approximately to allow abortion. we have had the referendum allowing gay marriage, ireland the first country to allow that by public vote. and then running through all of that, what the former irish president, mary mcaleese has called the dark side irish catholicism, the issue of abuse, the issue of the mistreatment of unmarried women and their babies

the pope will plant and irish oak tree post to the oak tree planted by john paul ii in 1979. then the pope will make his way to dublin castle where i am speaking to you from he will be the irish prime minister, the taoiseach, leo varadkar. and he will deliver a speech. that is one of the key parts of this visit to look out for. what will he said on the subject of the abuse of children? will he set out any concrete measures to deal with those who abuse or those who cover up abuse? that is what many are looking for. the eyes of the world are on ireland this weekend for what the pope might say on that subject in the wake of further revelations around the world on abuse, including, most recently, that grand jury including, most recently, that grand jury report in pennsylvania which

john paul ii was the first pope to visit the country which, at the time, was often described as the mostholic in the world. tomorrow, pope francis will arrive on a transformed ireland. the church's influence is much diminished and its reputation badly damaged. people who were abused in children's homes run by religous orders are preparing to protest. they want the pope to say sorry on behalf of the church and go further. we're asking him to apologise and, not only that, to fork up and do what's right.

more than a million people gathered in dublin in 1979 to see popejohn paul ii, about a third of the population at that time. then, divorce was outlawed, as was homosexuality, and no—one could imagine that proposals to legislate for abortion would be one day approved in a referendum. this weekend, about a tenth of the population is expected to turn out, in a changed country, which has been hugely damaged by revelations of sexual abuse within the church, and its cover—up. catherine — how significant is this visit, which we are told was very much the pope's idea? it is going to be important for pope

john paul ii was the first pope to visit the country, which at the time was often described as the most catholic in the world. tomorrow, pope francis will arrive on a transformed ireland. the church's influence is much diminished, and its reputation badly damaged. people who were abused in children's homes run by religious orders are preparing to protest. they want the pope to say sorry and a half of the church and go further. we're asking him to apologise, and not only that, to fork up and do what's right, out of the money that they have. it's not all about money, i know that. but that's the only form ofjustice that people are going to get, especially elderly people whose lives have been ruined. the revelations aren't over yet, especially in northern ireland.

in 1979, whenjohn paul ii came to ireland, 90% of catholics attended weekly mass., abortion and divorce were against the law here. now that figure is a0%, and it is a very different ireland that will greet pope francis. i think in the past, the catholic church had too much of a dominant place in our society. it still has a place in society, but not one that determines public policy or determines our laws. many are using the pope's visit to raise awareness of the catholic church's sexual abuse scandal. this art installation detailing the suffering of victims, these projections on dublin's general post 0ffice doing the same, alongside the hashtag #standfortruth. a series of inquiries here over a number of years exposed widespread sexual abuse by priests in various areas of ireland. pope francis is expected to meet with victims in private during his two—day trip. but with ongoing scandals exposed in several countries worldwide, many believe the catholic church faces a crisis of credibility that will overshadow this visit from the outset. and you just caught a glimpse

i rememberjohn paul ii saying asela gunaratne is a crowd of 300,000 young people, young people of irelandoung people, young people of ireland, i love you. it is pretty heartbreaking. given all that has come to light over that period, and the fact that you are sadly one of very many people who have had similar experiences, what is the response you will have to do is visit and what are you planning as pope francis comes to dublin? visit and what are you planning as pope francis comes to dublin7m visit and what are you planning as pope francis comes to dublin? it is important to separate out the various elements of the visit. 0n one hand, the spiritual leader of the catholic church is coming to ireland, and hundreds of thousands of people will go to manifest their faith and celebrate mass with him, which is to be respected. but you also have an institution that deliberately, wilfully, with absolute intent, covered up the rape and abuse of children, women and vulnerable adults on an industrial scale across this country, notjust in parishes, but in institutions and orphanages run by the cathol

more so than when popejohn paul ii came, andi more so than when popejohn paul ii came, and i think mostnd i think most people agree that is good, there should be more ofa that is good, there should be more of a separation of church and state and so on. but how do you think that changing relationship is reflected in the response we are seeing for pope francis? i was thinking about it, the same numbers are not coming out that they did for pope john paul ii, but actually, people can now travel to rome or go and see the pope there if they want to. in 1979, very few people got on aeroplanes and went to rome, so it is a very different world we live in. i think the church is a smaller church in ireland. i think that is good, because i think people were corralled into church. i think the importance of churches, if it is about a relationship with jesus and the heart ofjesus in the community, we can see hundreds and thousands of people in ireland who still want to be part of that church in which the heart ofjesus be part of that church in which the heart of jesus beats. and they the italian tenor

a0 years on almost since john paul ii, it was time, they felt, for the pope, or a pope, to visit.enewal if you like of the contract between church and people by the presence of pope francis here, because this is still predominantly catholic country. around 70% of people identify as catholic. and the church is still very strong here, faith is still very strong here, faith is still very strong here, faith is still very strong here. so really a crucial moment for catholicism in ireland in many respects. joining me here again at my position overlooking the crowd here in phoenix park is the theologian father eamon conway. your thoughts as you watch this unfold behind you? i have been here with you since early this morning, and we can see the big difference between the darkness and the fog and here now these massive crowds arriving, still pouring in. it is beginning to move to an atmosphere of a festival, they are going to celebrate the most important sacrament in the christian tradition, the eucharist. i was speaking to some people, and their sense of just joy really, speaking to some

this is the ireland to which pope frances has come, it's a different ireland and the one thatjohn paul ii visited in the last papal visit back in1979, visited in the last papal visit back in 1979, almost four decades ago. but it is one which is still predominantly a catholic country. and know what we are seeing is testimony from a number of families from around the world, notjust ireland, to mark this festival of families. i live in mumbai with my family. we have three beautiful children. i met nisha in college, we fell in love and have been married for 19 years. we got to spend very little time with the children because of work. we had to make a decision as to what would be the priority. by the grace of god, we understood his plan for us was of god, we understood his plan for us was to spend time with the family so we us was to spend time with the family so we took a decision that i would go part—time and it life changing. in mumbai and in india, technology plays a big part in connecting people. it goes a long way in entertainment and doing things quickly. while the internet offers a lot

1980 was a year after the visit of popejohn paul ii and we are so grateful that his prayers for peacer island where eventually a nswered on our island where eventually answered through the good friday agreement, a piece we promise to protect and nurture. today, i am privileged to welcome here today representatives of all of the communities in northern ireland and from britain and together we are guided by your works, make bridges not walls because wall's fall. we are georgia today by people from all walks of life in ireland, members of government and parliament, front—line public servants, prisoners, those born here, those have chosen to come here. men and women, young and old, children, catholics, members of other faiths and members of no faith. it is our duty to nurture this planet. and look after its people. your holiness, we thank you for your care for the earth. emphasising the urgent need to tackle climate change and reminding us of our responsibilities. we thank you for the empathy that you have shown to the empathy that you have shown to the poor, to migrants and refugees. alt

go beyond whatever mental threshold the soviet leadership had. >> at the vatican today, pope john paul iied concern for the worsening situation in his native poland. pope john paul told some 200 polish pilgrims he knew were in the crowd that they and all fellow poles should pray for peace. >> the cold war became as cold as it had ever been before. it got so cold, it was capable of becoming hot. >> there had been rumors, today confirmation. deaths and injuries among enforcers and resisters to the military rule imposed since sunday. >>> tragic events now occurring >>> tragic events now occurring in poland almost two years to the day after the soviet invasion of afghanistan have been precipitated by secret pressure from the soviet union. action to suspend economic relationships with the polish government. >> the first crisis in poland provides a vehicle for reagan to begin to think maybe the communist system in eastern europe is not as stable as people imagined. >> this is the pershing missile, a new version of it will be soon deployed in europe. this is the cruise missile, also to join nato

more than a million people gathered in dublin in 1979 to see popejohn paul ii, about a third of the populationthat time. then, divorce was outlawed, as was homosexuality, and no—one could imagine that proposals to legislate for abortion would be one day approved in a referendum. this weekend, about a tenth of the population is expected to turn out, in a changed country, which has been hugely damaged by revelations of sexual abuse within the church, and its cover—up. catherine — how significant is this visit, which we are told was very much the pope's idea? it is going to be important for pope francis himself i think because not only the eyes of ireland will be on him but catholics around the world. ireland has changed. many catholics have changed, too. this visit comes after a whole series of terrible revelations around the world, in america, chile and recent reports here in britain. it'll be interesting to see how he is received by the irish people. and what he has to about abuse in itself. we know he will be making three speeches over the course of the weekend, three addresses. an assumption

when john paul ii came here, i was 13 years of age, i had been an altar boy, sang at mass every sundayywhere in my life, and that was a good thing. within a year of that visit, i had been raped by a catholic priest who had been ordained four months before the visit despite the fact that the catholic church knew that he was sexually abusing children before they ordained him. when i look back at that visit, and i remember in particularjohn paul ii saying as he looked across the crowd of 300,000 young people, young people of ireland, i love you, i think that 13—year—old me who was joyful when i heard that. and then i think about the two decades or so to come that was blighted by the crimes of one of the priests, and more importantly by the priests, and more importantly by the cover—ups of these institutions. it is pretty heartbreaking. given all that has come to light over that period, and the fact that you are sadly one of very many people who have had similar experiences, what are you planning as pope francis comes to dublin? will first, it is important to separate out the elements of t

1979, and popejohn paul ii was greeted by the largest gathering of irish people in history.raception, abortion and divorce were against the law. now all three are legal and church attendance is down to a0%. marie collins‘ story may help explain why. she was abused by a hospital chaplain as a child. what has happened here basically is the church has fallen over a cliff. its moral authority is completely destroyed. we still have quite a high percentage of catholics in ireland and i think many of them are hanging on by theirfingernails. are you glad that the church is having less of a dominant effect? the short answer is yes. i think in the past the catholic church had too much of a dominant place in irish society. i think it still has a place in irish society, but not one that determines public policy or determines our laws. judging by trade in the exhibition hall, the catholic church is pinning its hopes on the popularity of pope francis. this is the best one. he remains the star attraction. but unless it can convince the world that it has changed, then the future of the roma

it is the first papal visit ireland since popejohn paul ii in1979. visit ireland since popejohn paul ium little earlier, and he hasjust finished speaking, making an extensive speech to an audience there of around 80,000 people, we believe. in that speech, he talked about family, forgiveness, and mercy. 0ne about family, forgiveness, and mercy. one of the things he specified was that there is no such thing as the perfect family. he added that without the practice of forgiveness, families can grow sick and gradually lapse. this is a stadium that is normally host to sporting events and music events. this time, it is the pope in his first visit, in the first papal visit, rather, in almost four decades. there will be plenty more coverage from the bbc tomorrow as well, and plenty more currently on our website, where we have a live page of our reporting, so plenty more where as well. hello. for many, there has been a trend to something cooler over the next few days. earlier on tuesday morning, only two or three celsius. so there have been murmurs about autumn, which meteorologically speaking

paul ii visited here. to anyone in ireland, they will tell you that i are a vastly different country than 40 years ago when john paul came here. in 1979, virtually everyone in ireland went to sunday mass. you know, divorce was illegal. abortion was illegal. you had to get a doctor's note to get contraception. the whole lbgt issue wasn't on the radar skroovenl today, ireland has legalized gay marriage, contraception is legal. mass attendance rates are down. it is in many ways a secular nation now analogous to other western european nations. now, that itself not to say the catholic church doesn't remain an enormously institution here, certainly climate is very different. yawed to that the impact of probably the world most intense cleric am sexual abuse scandal. this is a quick trip. it's 32 hours, but the chances faces pope francis are enormous. in many ways, i believe this is one of the highest stakes trips pope francis has taken today, george. >> let's reset for our viewers in the united states and around t

i should remind you that back in 1979 when popejohn paul ii phoenix park, 1.5 million people gatheredart in that service. tomorrow's event, they issued 500,000 tickets. back to you. egypt's top prosecutor says the deaths of a british couple who died at a hotel resort in the country were not due to poisonous gas emissions in their room. john and susan cooper were staying at the steigenberger aqua magic hotel in hurghada. both died on tuesday, and there were claims that the hotel's air—conditioning system might be to blame. concern following the death of the couple has led to other holiday—makers being flown home. the first have now arrived back in the uk, as katy austin reports. it is still unclear how men a p pa re ntly it is still unclear how men apparently fit and healthy couple died at this 5—star red sea resort. they both were in their 60s, found ill on tuesday. inspectors found no evidence of toxic gas leaks in their hotel room in the local hospital manager said fumes were unlikely to have caused their deaths. translation: i do not think it was gas poisoning because of a group of

. >> it's interesting, because it was 1979 when pope john paul ii made the last trip there.nd at that point, divorce, homosexual acts, and abortion were all illegal. help me understand the atmosphere in which this pope is entering in ireland there. >> reporter: well, i mean, ireland, as you say, is a vastly different country than the one that welcomed john paul ii in 1979. you have seen a fairly rapid process of secularization here. mass attendance rates are down for the catholic church. vocations to the catholic priesthood are down. nevertheless, the church does remain an enormously important social institution here. and you know, i mean, pope francis will draw warm and enthusiastic crowds. tonight in the park he will celebrate a festival of families. you'll see some real enthusiasm there. tomorrow in dublin's phoenix park he will celebrate an open-air mass that is estimated to draw probably around 500,000 people. but that said, clearly, the elephant in the room on this trip are those sexual abuse scandals. and of course, that would be true under any set of circumstances. i

this is the ireland to which pope frances has come, it's a different ireland and the one thatjohn paul iiback in1979, visited in the last papal visit back in 1979, almost four decades ago. but it is one which is still predominantly a catholic country. and know what we are seeing is testimony from a number of families from around the world, notjust ireland, to mark this festival of families. i live in mumbai with my family.

. >> when pope john paul ii last visited ireland in 1979, 2.5 million catholics turned out. is expected to greet pope francis this weekend. >> it will be a different tone. >> one group of protestors is sending their own message getting hundreds of tickets to one event with no intention of showing up. it unfolds in the shadow of another round of abuse allegations and cover ups. most prominently from the explosive pennsylvania grand jury report. the cardinal calls it a catalog of horrors. >> one section describes a group of priests that marked their victims with crucifixes to identify the ones that were easier targets. are you worried that something like this could surface where you are? >> i think that if such a ring existed we have the measures by which we could detect it. >> sister liz murphy, an irish nun says the entire church needs reform. >> this is a very male, masculine, institutional top down dictatorial body. who wouldn't want, as a woman to see that collapse. >> those words from a nun were once unthinkable. >> how does the pope survive this moment? >> this is a vir

pope john paul ii celebrated mass here almost a0 yea rs ii celebrated mass here almost a0 years ago,nd pope francis following in his footsteps as well when he visited the shrine of knock earlier today. and worth, i think, repeating how remarkable the opening of this mass was, father eamon. quite extraordinary, it has set the tone for what will now follow in his own words, his words of homily, his words of encouragement to the rebuilding of the irish church, and indeed the world church. translation: at the end of this world meeting of families, we gather asa family world meeting of families, we gather as a family around the table of the lord. we thank god for the many blessings we have received in our families. and we want to commit ourselves to living fully avocation to be in the touching words of saint theresa of the holy child, loving the heart of the church. in this precious moment of communion with one another and with the lord, it is good to pause and consider the source of all good things we have received. jesus reveals the origin of these blessings in today's gospel. when he s

this is a much smaller reception than what was seen for the visit ofjohn paul ii in 1979 when there washe venues where he spoke. significant numbers, but nothing of that order. and that really reflects the changing relationship between the irish people, the irish catholic people and the church hierarchy. it isa people and the church hierarchy. it is a much more complex relationship asa is a much more complex relationship as a result of the scandals that have emerged in the years since 1979. it is a much less deferential relationship, but about three quarters of the population still identify as catholic. it is a reduction in the numbers who would have said they were catholic back in 1979. we're talking about 91, 90 2% back then. according to the last census, it was around 70% as i try to remember the exact figure. that is certainly reflected in the reception we are seeing for pope francis. we will see big crowds in the two big events that are happening in the evening. tonight and one part and tomorrow in another part. now he is on his way to meet with homeless families and we will contin

more than a million people turned out to seejohn paul ii in 1979, around half that number are expectedfallon from catholic comment, which throws light on the work of the church and will be at the celebrations. shejoins us now. i believe you're going to be at the celebrations. this is a big dealfor ireland. what is the mood like at the moment? good morning, steph. you're absolutely correct, this is a huge dealfor you're absolutely correct, this is a huge deal for ireland. you're absolutely correct, this is a huge dealfor ireland. the you're absolutely correct, this is a huge deal for ireland. the second biggest event that's ever happened in the country, the first being the visit of popejohn paul ii eight or nine years ago. i'm in dublin at the moment and i'll be attending the concert in croke park tonight, where over 80,000 people will be in attendance, one of them being pope francis as well. yes, the atmosphere is great here. people are really looking forward to the event and i think most people are expecting it to be very significant, not only for the church in ireland but the univers

not the sort of thing we would see back in 1979 whenjohn paul ii came here, this was before any of theme to light, came to wider public attention but these were survivors of abuse. their supporters, saying to the church, to the state, we are here, we want more action to be taken. and julie was there, watching events in the garden of remembrance. up to a couple dozen people have gathered here at the garden of remembrance in the city centre in dublin. you see the stage there and it is noisy and people are talking and we have had lots of music and poetry and readings. we heard from merry black and brian kennedy but have not heard from the hose here yet. that is the big attraction here today. the organisers do not call this a protest. they do not call it a concert. they call it a gathering. a gathering of people who have come here today, to show solidarity with those who have been abused through the catholic church. the whole thing was organised through a group called stand for justice and was organised through a group called stand forjustice and dates timed it to coincide with pope franci

1979, and pope john paul ii was greeted by the largest gathering of irish people in history. back then, almost 90% of catholics attended weekly mass. contraception, abortion, and divorce were against the law. now all three are legal, and church attendance is down to 40%. marty's story may explain why. she was abused by a hospital chaplain as a child. >> what has happened here basically is that the church has thrown over a cliff its moral authority completely, destroyed. we still have quite a high percentage of catholics in ireland, and many of them are hanging on by the fingernails. martin: are you glad that the church is having less of a dominant effect? >> the short answer is yes. i think in the past the catholic church had too much of a dominant place in irish society. i think it still has a place in irish society, but not one that determines public policy or determines our laws. martin: judging by the parade in the exhibition hall, the catholic church is pinning its hopes on the popularity of pope francis. he remains the star attraction. but unless it can convince the wor

1979, and popejohn paul ii was greeted by the largest gathering of irish people in history.orce were against the law. now all three are legal, and church attendance is down to a0%. marie collins‘ story may help explain why. she was abused by a hospital chaplain as a child. what has happened here basically is the church has fallen over a cliff. its moral authority is completely destroyed. we still have quite a high percentage of catholics in ireland, and i think many of them are hanging on by theirfingernails. are you glad that the church is having less of a dominant effect? the short answer is yes. i think in the past the catholic church had too much of a dominant place in irish society. i think it still has a place in irish society, but not one that determines public policy or determines our laws. judging by trade in the exhibition hall, the catholic church is pinning its hopes on the popularity of pope francis. this is the best one. he remains the star attraction. but unless it can convince the world that it has changed, then the future of the roman catholic church in irel

it was iri979, marking the last time the pope was in ireland, john paul ii was that there is the claimas the papal flag and the was that there is the claim. it has the papalflag and the irish was that there is the claim. it has the papal flag and the irish trickle oi’ the papal flag and the irish trickle orflag, flying from the papal flag and the irish trickle or flag, flying from the cockpit, as is the tradition on occasions like this. let's ta ke let's take a look at knock, that's where the pope visited earlier today, a holy shrine visited by 1,000,000 anda today, a holy shrine visited by 1,000,000 and a half pilgrims, each year. he delivered a short speech to the many thousands of people who turned out to see him there. in that speech, he prayed for god's forgiveness, for what he called the open wounds of abuse. and he also talked about taking decisive action, to secure the pursuit of truth and justice. translation: this open wound challenges us to be firm and decisive in the pursuit of truth and justice. applause. translation: i beg the lord's forgiveness for these sins, and for th

1979, and popejohn paul ii was greeted by the largest gathering of irish people in history.catholics attended weekly mass, contraception, abortion and divorce were against the law. now all three are legal and church attendance is down to 40%. marie collins‘ story may help explain why. she was abused by a hospital chaplain as a child. what has happened here basically is the church has fallen over a cliff. its moral authority is completely destroyed. we still have quite a high percentage of catholics in ireland and i think many of them are hanging on by theirfingernails. are you glad that the church is having less of a dominant effect? the short answer is yes. i think in the past the catholic church had too much of a dominant place in irish society. i think it still has a place in irish society, but not one that determines public policy or determines our laws. judging by trade in the exhibition hall, the catholic church is pinning its hopes on the popularity of pope francis. this is the best one. he remains the star attraction. but unless it can convince the world that it has

well, unlike the last papal visit to ireland byjohn paul ii back in 1979, which was met with mass adulation, there are some demonstrations during this visit by pope francis. i will not say protest, they are very dignified demonstrations by survivors of sexual abuse carried out by priests, by survivors of mistreatment and other catholic run, sometimes state run institutions here and ireland. and my colleague from bbc northern ireland has been following one of those demonstrations for us today taking place in dublin. tell us about what has been happening where you are. yes, it hasjust all kicked off here really in the last few minutes. it is fair to say that maybe several hundred people have turned up. maybe slightly more than that have turned up for this special gathering this afternoon. now, it has all been timed to coincide with pope francis‘ mass at phoenix park. and the people who have come here today have come to stand in solidarity with those who have been abused through the catholic church. now, you can see behind me, there is a stage, there is a bit of music, someone a stage, there i

hanging over his visits, and jonathan vigliotti is there. ( applause ) >> reporter: when pope john paul iit visited ireland back in 1979, 2.5 million catholics turned out. only a fraction of that crowd is expected to greet pope francis this weekend. >> it will be a different tone. i don't think everyone will be amping for joy. >> reporter: one group of protesters is sending their own message, allegedly getting hundreds of tickets to one event with no intention of showing up. p.e pope's visit unfolds in the shadow of yet another round of abuse allegations and cover-ups, most prominently from the explosive pennsylvania grand jury report. cardinal blaze cupich, who arrived here from chicago,o, cas it a catalog of horrors. one section describes a group of zeiests who mark their victims with crucifixes to identify the ones that are easier targets. are you worried something like this could surface where you are? >> i think that if such a ring existed, we have the measures by which we could detect it. >> reporter: cardinal wuerl from >> sister liz murphy, an irish nun, says the entire church need

john paul ii.ing the church has been through, it must be very important that the pope has decided to come back here. i think so. i think the people of ireland welcome him here. i think people of northern ireland would have liked for him to be there to. he engaged —— he encourage eve ryo ne to. he engaged —— he encourage everyone to engage further with the reconciliation process. it is important for ordinary everyday families across the world. it is important because families in their different manifestations experienced so different manifestations experienced so many difficult situations. coming together, they learned they are not alone. they learned that there are those there to support them and they feel that their family is part of the biggerfamily feel that their family is part of the bigger family of the church. and there is certainly an affirmation of faith if you look across phoenix park today. all these people gathering in the wind and the rain. everyone here from the families here today, t

crowds for the pope's visit expected to be one-third the size that greeted john paul ii who was the last pope to visit ireland back in 1979. in the meantime, in the wake of that report on clergy abuse, authorities in missouri and the latest to launch investigations in their states into how the church has handled abuse cases. >>> it's time for a look at your weather for this friday morning. >>> good morning. we continue to watch hurricane lane as it makes its progress off to the west of the hawaiian islands. it will be pressing farther off to the west as we head on into sunday. in the meantime, though, expecting a gradual weakening as we get a little bit of wind shear to come in from the west. still expecting a flooding rain concern. heavy downpours, one to three feet of rain in some spots and rough surf. i'm meteorologist julia weiden with your accuweather forecast. >>> well, this morning we're celebrating the song "sweet home alabama." we'll explain why next. >>> also ahead, a young woman from georgia caught leaking classified government secrets, she learns her punishment. how she pulle

issues of sex scandals have hit the catholic church since popejohn paul ii visited the country. a major study has concluded there is no safe level of alcohol consumption. scientists have said they should recommend people abstain. at 10pm we will have full round—up of the day's news but first on the news channel, weather world. this time on weather world, we are in north east scotland and we will be finding out how the weather affects one of this country's favourite exports. from field to bottle, whisky. we find out what is being done now to safeguard its future whatever the weather. and i'm at a vineyard in west sussex finding out how climate change and technology are shaping the glass of wine you drink at home. also, feeling the heat. the temperature hits new highs with a sweltering multi—continent heatwave. deadly wildfires and the race to escape as they spread at terrifying speed. and flash floods so ferocious they are hard to believe, we will bring you images from the world's biggest weather stories and storms. plus, out for the count. tracking puffins as they face up to cli