Francis’ trip to Ireland last weekend was the toughest and most difficult of his pontificate. Over the course of an intense 32-hour visit, the 81-year-old Pope came face to face with the rawness, anger and deep wounds caused by the crisis. No doubt it was inevitable that the issue of the sexual abuse of children by priests and its cover-up by church leaders would hang over events. However, there are questions over how well briefed the Pope had been about the scandal in Ireland; the wisdom of combining a papal visit with the World Meeting of Families; and how the opponents of Francis are seeking to exploit the abuse issue to undermine his papacy.

Last Sunday morning, the second and final day of the visit, Francis arrived at a wet and windy Phoenix Park and, after a brief tour of the ground in his Popemobile, processed up to the specially constructed altar where he would celebrate the Mass.