There’s A Good Chance The Pope Won’t Meet Church Abuse Survivors During His Visit

We didn't see this coming at all.

The Archbishop of Dublin, Diarmuid Martin, has said he fears the Pope may not have enough time to visit abuse survivors during his visit next month.

Dr Martin said that he is trying to arrange a time where the Pope would meet a cross-section of survivors from the Magdalene Laundries, industrial schools, mother and baby homes and clerical abuse survivors.

However, the Vatican has yet to give a definitive response whether this is happening and Dr Martin told the Irish Times that his "time is tight."

Speaking after the launch of an exhibition on the last Papal visit in Phoenix Park, the Archbishop said it would be great for him to meet the survivors.

“It would be great for him to meet some of those survivors. You will have to get a small group which is representative and it is never easy to do that,” he said. “Generally speaking the Pope will do it very quietly somewhere.”