Pope Francis versus Mary McAleese and Marie Collins: the 2018 papal visit to Ireland and the role of abuse in the decline of the Catholic Church

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article analyses Pope Francis’s visit to Ireland in 2018, arguing that the way the Pope was portrayed in the media and received by the public confirms that clerical child sexual abuse scandals continue to be a significant contributing factor to the decline of the Catholic Church. This conclusion is reflected in the narrative analysis of the way the Irish Times covered Francis’s visit. It reveals that abuse was the most pervasive theme in its coverage. It also considers coverage of the engagement of two important national figures with the papal visit: former President Mary McAleese and abuse survivor Marie Collins. They were positioned as alternative Catholic role models and moral authorities who were critical not only of the Church’s handling of abuse, but also of the way it treats women and LGBTQI people. A nationally representative survey after the visit revealed that a majority thought Pope Francis had not done enough to address abuse during his visit and that the visit was not a healing time, neither for victims and survivors nor for LGBTQI people. The failure of the Church adequately to address the abuse crisis continues to be a decisive factor in what appears to be its continuing (institutional) decline.