The Pope 's visit to Ireland has sparked a number of protests in the country over the church's handling of multiple clerical abuse scandals.
The country has undergone seismic social changes since the last papal visit in 1979, when John Paul II was lauded by a nation shaped by its relationship with an all-powerful Catholic Church.
Pope Francis is expected to use his trip to confront the abuse scandals in the church and is planning to meet a number of abuse victims in a private meeting during his trip.
But while he will receive a warm reception from the thousands of pilgrims who have travelled to be part of the occasion, he has also sparked protests among people who are angry at how the church dealt with the various scandals.
One took place near Dublin Castle shortly after the Pontiff arrived in the city on Saturday morning. It was organised by Margaret McGuckin, a survivor of historic child abuse who spent years in the Nazareth House children's home.
Ms McGuckin said it was a symbolic gesture to the Pope and the church that victims have not gone away.
Pope Francis visits Ireland – in picturesShow all 55 1 /55Pope Francis visits Ireland – in pictures
Pope Francis visits Ireland – in pictures Pope Francis celebrates the Holy Mass at the Phoenix Park, in Dublin
AP
Pope Francis visits Ireland – in pictures Pope Francis arrives at Phoenix Park for a Papal Mass of the World Meeting of Families in Dublin
EPA
Pope Francis visits Ireland – in pictures A vigil takes place at the site of the mass grave which contained the remains of 796 named babies from the Bon Secours Mother and Baby home in Tuam. The vigil coincides with the Phoenix park mass which is taking place in Dublin held by Pope Francis. Excavations at the site in 2017 revealed underground structures which held babies bodies with ages ranging from 35 weeks to three years old with most of the dead buried in the 1950s when the facility was run by the Bon Secours Sisters, a Catholic religious order of nuns who received unmarried pregnant women to give birth
Getty
Pope Francis visits Ireland – in pictures An aerial view of the crowd at Phoenix Park
Getty Images
Pope Francis visits Ireland – in pictures Children queue for communion during Pope Francis' closing Mass
PA
Pope Francis visits Ireland – in pictures The Stand4Truth rally gathers outside a former Magdalene laundry in Dublin as part of the demonstrations against clerical sex abuse
PA
Pope Francis visits Ireland – in pictures Pope Francis leads the Holy Mass at Phoenix Park
AFP/Getty
Pope Francis visits Ireland – in pictures Pope Francis arrives to celebrate the Holy Mass at the Phoenix Park
AP
Pope Francis visits Ireland – in pictures The names of the victims are read out as a vigil takes place at the site of the mass grave which contained the remains of 796 named babies from the Bon Secours Mother and Baby home
Getty Images
Pope Francis visits Ireland – in pictures Pope Francis leads the Holy Mass at Phoenix Park
AFP/Getty
Pope Francis visits Ireland – in pictures A member of the clergy carries a bowl of incense
PA
Pope Francis visits Ireland – in pictures
AP
Pope Francis visits Ireland – in pictures A vigil takes place at the site of the mass grave which contained the remains of 796 named babies
Getty Images
Pope Francis visits Ireland – in pictures Members of the public pray as they watch Pope Francis deliver a Papal Mass of the World Meeting of Families at Phoenix Park
EPA
Pope Francis visits Ireland – in pictures Pope Francis attends the closing Mass at the World Meeting of Families at Phoenix Park in Dublin
PA
Pope Francis visits Ireland – in pictures Pope Francis passes by a banner of a protester as he leaves St Mary's Pro-Cathedral
AP
Pope Francis visits Ireland – in pictures Pope Francis speaks during his visit to the Capuchin Day Centre for Homeless in Dublin
AP
Pope Francis visits Ireland – in pictures Pope Francis waves to the waiting crowds on Christchurch
PA
Pope Francis visits Ireland – in pictures Pope Francis waves to the waiting crowds on College Green
PA
Pope Francis visits Ireland – in pictures Members of the public wave at Pope Francis as he travels through the city
Getty Images
Pope Francis visits Ireland – in pictures Pope Francis laughs as he leaves St Mary's Pro Cathedral during his visit to Dublin
Reuters
Pope Francis visits Ireland – in pictures Two boys wave flags after climbing a post as they wait for Pope Francis
Getty
Pope Francis visits Ireland – in pictures Pairs of baby shoes are hung from black ribbons on Gardiner Street in Dublin in memory of the children who died at the Bon Secours Mother and Baby Home in Tuam, Co Galway
PA
Pope Francis visits Ireland – in pictures Crowds on O'Connell Street
PA
Pope Francis visits Ireland – in pictures
WMOF2018/Maxwell Photography/Getty
Pope Francis visits Ireland – in pictures Pope Francis memorabilia on sale on O'Connell Street
PA
Pope Francis visits Ireland – in pictures Pope Francis arrives at St Mary's Pro-Cathedral during his visit to Ireland to attend the 2018 World Meeting of Families
AFP/Getty
Pope Francis visits Ireland – in pictures Pope Francis waves to the waiting crowds on O'Connell Street
PA
Pope Francis visits Ireland – in pictures Pope Francis addresses the congragation at St Mary's Pro-Cathedral
AFP/Getty
Pope Francis visits Ireland – in pictures Stephen O'Brien selling bottles of holy water from the St Mary's Pro Cathedral
PA
Pope Francis visits Ireland – in pictures Pope Francis prays inside St Mary's Pro Cathedral
Reuters
Pope Francis visits Ireland – in pictures A man waves a rainbow flag behind a model of a pope which stands in the window above a bar
Getty
Pope Francis visits Ireland – in pictures People hold a banner against Pope Francis on the way to St Mary's Pro-Cathedral
AP
Pope Francis visits Ireland – in pictures Nuns wait by the side of the road for Pope Francis
Reuters
Pope Francis visits Ireland – in pictures A model of a pope is placed in the window above a bar as crowds wait for Pope Francis to travel through the city
Getty
Pope Francis visits Ireland – in pictures Crowds on O'Connell Street, Dublin waiting to see Pope Francis as he travels in the Popemobile
PA
Pope Francis visits Ireland – in pictures Pope Francis waves to wellwishers as he arrives at Dublin Airport
Getty
Pope Francis visits Ireland – in pictures His visit, the first by a Pope since John Paul II's in 1979 is expected to attract hundreds of thousands of Catholics to a series of events in Dublin and Knock
PA
Pope Francis visits Ireland – in pictures Pope Francis talks to journalists aboard a plane flying from Fiumicino aiport to Dublin
AFP/Getty
Pope Francis visits Ireland – in pictures LGBT protestors from Dublin Pride and We Are Church with flags and umbrellas on Ha'Penny Bridge, Dublin to remember the victims of clerical sex abuse ahead of the start of the visit to Ireland by Pope Francis
PA
Pope Francis visits Ireland – in pictures Pope Francis disembarks from the aircraft as he arrives at Dublin Airport
Getty
Pope Francis visits Ireland – in pictures Woman wait for Pope Francis to drive past, in Dublin
Reuters
Pope Francis visits Ireland – in pictures
Reuters
Pope Francis visits Ireland – in pictures Taoiseach Leo Varadkar delivers a speech watched by Pope Francis in St. Patrick's Hall at Dublin Castle
WMOF2018/Maxwell Photography/Getty
Pope Francis visits Ireland – in pictures Protesters hold banners during a demonstration against clerical sex abuse, in Dublin
Reuters
Pope Francis visits Ireland – in pictures Pope Francis plants a tree during a meeting with Irish President Michael D Higgins, at Aras an Uachtarain
PA
Pope Francis visits Ireland – in pictures Pope Francis walks with the President of Ireland Michael Higgins at Aras an Uachtarain
WMOF2018/Maxwell Photography/Getty
Pope Francis visits Ireland – in pictures
Reuters
Pope Francis visits Ireland – in pictures Pope Francis, center, is flanked by Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, right, as they arrive to meet authorities, in Dublin
AP
Pope Francis visits Ireland – in pictures Protestors wearing baby shoes, to signify the children who died in mother and baby homes in Ireland, protest in Dublin ahead of the start of the visit to Ireland by Pope Franci
PA
Pope Francis visits Ireland – in pictures Pope Francis exchanges gifts with Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar
AFP/Getty
Pope Francis visits Ireland – in pictures Pope Francis speaks with President Michael D Higgins in his study during a visit to Aras an Uachtarain in Phoenix Park, Dublin
PA
Pope Francis visits Ireland – in pictures Navy band march prior to the arrival of Pope Francis at the Presidential residence in Dublin
AP
Pope Francis visits Ireland – in pictures Eddie McGuinness from Dublin LGBTQ Pride carries a rainbow flag across Ha'Penny Bridge, Dublin ahead of the start of the visit to Ireland by Pope Francis
PA
Pope Francis visits Ireland – in pictures A message left by Pope Francis in the visitors book at Aras an Uachtarain in Phoenix Park
PA
“The Pope now needs to stand up to the plate and do something for the survivors. We need redress, we need the church held to account," she said.
“We want the bishops, Christian Brothers, nuns and anyone else who was involved in the abuse of children or covering up the abuse of children brought before the courts."
Some are also abstaining from attending events to see the Pontiff in a bid to leave seats empty as a form of silent and peaceful protest as a disavowal to the Catholic Church’s “stranglehold” on culture and government in Ireland as the Pontiff carries out a whistle-stop tour.
It comes after the Pontiff wrote a 2,000-word letter to Catholics in which he condemned the crime of sexual abuse by priests and subsequent cover-ups, and demanded accountability in response to fresh revelations in the US of decades of misconduct by clerics.
Senior Irish clerics and other dignitaries gathered on the apron of the runway to greet the Pope clapped as his flight landed shortly after 10am on Saturday. Irish and Vatican flags were flown from the cockpit windows as the aircraft taxied toward its stand.
Pope Francis emerged from the plane soon after, walking down the steps to be greeted on a red carpet by Ireland's deputy premier and foreign affairs minister Simon Coveney, his wife Ruth and their three daughters.
Mr Coveney acknowledged that many people had mixed feelings about the visit, saying: “I think it's been difficult for many people, for victims, for Catholics and many of the clergy.
“But I hope and expect that this weekend will be a very powerful moment. He has a personality that can reach out to Irish people.”
On Friday, the Irish prime minister Leo Varadkar said he hoped Pope Francis's visit would mark the beginning of a new chapter in Ireland's relationship with the Church.
Archbishop Eamon Martin, the head of the Catholic Church in Ireland, meanwhile said the sex abuse issue would not disappear because of Francis' visit to Ireland this weekend “and nor should it”.
He told Sky News: “If you speak to survivors, they're carrying a trauma and they will carry it with them for the rest of their lives. We have no right to think that we can leave it behind us.”
Around 100,000 people are expected to line the streets of Dublin city centre on Saturday afternoon as the Pope passes through in his famous Pope Mobile.
UK news in picturesShow all 51 UK news in pictures 27 June 2022 The cleaning up begins after the Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm
EPA
UK news in pictures 25 June 2022 Paul McCartney, from left, Dave Grohl and Bruce Springsteen perform at Glastonbury Festival in Worthy Farm, Somerset
Joel C Ryan/Invision/AP
UK news in pictures 24 June 2022 The crowd watching Wet Leg performing on the Park Stage during the Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm in Somerset
PA
UK news in pictures 23 June 2022 An aerial view of the Glastonbury Festival site
James Dadzitis/SWNS
UK news in pictures 22 June 2022 Festivalgoers on the first day of Glastonbury Festival
EPA
UK news in pictures 21 June 2022 A general view of an empty platform at Paddington Station in London, as members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union begin their nationwide strike in a bitter dispute over pay, jobs and conditions
PA
UK news in pictures 20 June 2022 Handout photo issued by the Big Issue of the Duke of Cambridge selling the Big Issue in London
PA
UK news in pictures 19 June 2022 Visitors explore the Arboria II luminaria, created by Architects of Air, during the Meliora Festival at the Beacon Arts Centre in Inverclyde. Arboria II is inspired by the geometry of nature and also Islamic architecture and features winding passages of small domes with light and colours created purely by daylight shining through the coloured plastic structure
PA
UK news in pictures 18 June 2022 Demonstrators march in a trades union organised protest opposed to British government policies at Parliament Square in London, Britain
Reuters
UK news in pictures 17 June 2022 Crowds on Bournemouth beach during a heatwave
Getty
UK news in pictures 16 June 2022 Paige Dawson, 28, takes a selfie with her baby bump in a huge field of poppies in flower in Bramford, Suffolk
PA
UK news in pictures 15 June 2022 The royal procession arrives into the parade ring ahead of racing on day two of Royal Ascot
PA
UK news in pictures 14 June 2022 Flowers and tributes left outside of Grenfell Tower on the fifth anniversary of the fire that killed 72 people
AP
UK news in pictures 13 June 2022 Protestors demonstrate outside the Home Office building against the governments plans to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda
Reuters
UK news in pictures 12 June 2022 Members of the 2nd Battalion the Scots Guards, march through the streets of Blackpool, Lancashire to mark the 40th anniversary of the Falklands War
PA
UK news in pictures 11 June 2022 Members of the public attend the Royal Windsor Flower Show at the York Club in Windsor Great Park
PA
UK news in pictures 10 June 2022 Pupils with Petty Officer Tommy O'Toole from the Royal Navy with the world's first mobile luge ramp, designed and manufactured by engineering students at Glasgow Caledonian University with the help of pupils from six Renfrewshire primary schools
PA
UK news in pictures 9 June 2022 A traveller rides a horse in the River Eden at the Appleby Horse Fair, the annual gathering of gypsies and travellers in Appleby, Cumbria
PA
UK news in pictures 8 June 2022 An activist from Extinction Rebellion holds a dog wearing a construction helmet as they attend a protest during a biodiversity conference being held at Dublin Castle, calling for legal protection for Ireland’s wildlife
Reuters
UK news in pictures 7 June 2022 Downing Street staff take down Jubilee bunting outside 10 Downing Street in London. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has survived a “vote of no confidence” over his leadership but has lost over forty percent of support from his MP’s following the vote at parliament
EPA
UK news in pictures 6 June 2022 Gannets gathered at Bempton Cliffs in Yorkshire, as over 250,000 seabirds flock to the chalk cliffs to find a mate and raise their young. From April to August the cliffs come alive with nest-building adults and young chicks
PA
UK news in pictures 5 June 2022 Performers take part in the Platinum Jubilee Pageant
Reuters
UK news in pictures 4 June 2022 Past and present jockeys who have ridden Queen Elizabeth II’s horses line up dressed in her colours on Derby Day
Reuters
UK news in pictures 3 June 2022 Prince Harry makes a face as he waits for the start of the National Service of Thanksgiving for The Queen’s reign at Saint Paul’s Cathedral
AFP/ Getty
UK news in pictures 2 June 2022 Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II stands on the Balcony of Buckingham Palace bas the troops march past during the Queen’s Birthday Parade, the Trooping the Colour
AFP/Getty
UK news in pictures 1 June 2022 Gardeners David Kay and Lou Singfield tend to the wildflower meadow which has burst into flower at King's College in Cambridge
PA
UK news in pictures 31 May 2022 Sir Sean Connery's Aston Martin DB5 which is expected to fetch up to £1.4 million at auction. The family of the James Bond actor, who died in October 2020 aged 90, is selling the 1964 classic car to raise money for a philanthropy fund set up in his name
PA
UK news in pictures 30 May 2022 Corgi Charles and friends enjoy a spot of tea during The Jubilee Tea Pawty at award winning doggy day care, Bruce’s
Ben Stevens/PinPep
UK news in pictures 29 May 2022 Nottingham Forest’s Cafu celebrates after winning the Championship Play-Off Final against Huddersfield Town at Wembley
Action Images via Reuters
UK news in pictures 28 May 2022 Balloons light up as they are tethered to the ground during the night glow at the Isle of Wight Balloon Festival at Robin Hill Country Park, Isle of Wight
PA
UK news in pictures 27 May 2022 A crow chases an urban fox, who has dug up a bird carcass, outside the Old Bailey, central London
PA
UK news in pictures 26 May 2022 Pedestrians walk past a 'Living Wall' art project, produced in collaboration with The National Portrait Galler and the Earls Court Development Company, in west London
AFP/Getty
UK news in pictures 25 May 2022 Guests during a Royal Garden Party at Buckingham Palace in London
PA
UK news in pictures 24 May 2022 People walk past the Liverpool Street station sign along the Elizabeth Line on its first day of service as it joins the London Underground network in London, Britain
EPA
UK news in pictures 23 May 2022 A young child amongst group of people thought to be migrants is carried by a member of the military as they are brought in to Dover, Kent
PA
UK news in pictures 22 May 2022 Fernandinho of Manchester City lifts the Premier League trophy after their side finished the season as Premier League champions during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Aston Villa
Getty Images
UK news in pictures 21 May 2022 France's Thibault Laly during day one of the Mercedes-Benz UCI MTB World Cup event in Fort William
PA
UK news in pictures 20 May 2022 Chef Jamie Oliver takes part in the ‘What an Eton Mess’ demonstration outside Downing Street, calling for Prime Minister Boris Johnson to reconsider his U-turn on the Government’s anti-obesity strategy
PA
UK news in pictures 19 May 2022 Sculpture conservator Marisa Prandelli adjusts a display of heads of ‘Cybermen’ in the monster vault at the ‘Doctor Who: Worlds of Wonder’ exhibition which opens at the World Museum later this month in Liverpool
Reuters
UK news in pictures 18 May 2022 People cross Regent Street, decorated with flags to mark the upcoming platinum jubilee , to mark the 70-year reign of Queen Elizabeth II
AP
UK news in pictures 17 May 2022 Prime Minister Boris Johnson with Transport Secretary Grant Shapps and Mayor of London Sadiq Khan on a Elizabeth Line train at Paddington station in London
PA
UK news in pictures 16 May 2022 Protesters from Border Communities Against Brexit outside Hillsborough Castle during a visit by Prime Minister Boris Johnson to Northern Ireland for talks with Stormont parties
PA
UK news in pictures 15 May 2022 Queen Elizabeth II departs following the A Gallop Through History Platinum Jubilee celebration at the Royal Windsor Horse Show at Windsor Castle
PA
UK news in pictures 14 May 2022 Heat haze softens the scene as a paraglider takes to the sky over the cliffs above Boscombe beach in Dorset
PA
UK news in pictures 13 May 2022 Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe with her husband Richard and daughter Gabriella as they leave 10 Downing Street, after a meeting with Prime Minister Boris Johnson
PA
UK news in pictures 12 May 2022 Rebekah Vardy leaves the Royal Courts Of Justice, London, during high-profile libel battle between Rebekah Vardy and Coleen Rooney
PA
UK news in pictures 11 May 2022 A Goldeneye swims in the rain at Slimbridge wetlands, Gloucestershire
PA
UK news in pictures 10 May 2022 Britain's Prince Charles, Prince of Wales appears on a screen next to a painting of Queen Elizabeth at the Royal Gallery as he delivers the Queen's Speech during the State Opening of Parliament at the Houses of Parliament, in London
AFP/Getty
UK news in pictures 9 May 2022 Linda Bainbridge (left) and Miyuki Griffin putting the finishing touches to The Crown, Orb and Sceptre exhibit as part of A Festival of Flowers' at Salisbury Cathedral. Hundreds of flower arrangers will be mounting 127 individual exhibits throughout the cathedral in honour of the Queen's Platinum Jubilee
PA
UK news in pictures 8 May 2022 Durham Cathedral which stands on The Bailey, a peninsula formed by the River Wear looping around the historic centre of Durham
PA
UK news in pictures 7 May 2022 Girls from Grace and Poise, the world’s first Muslim ballet school, perform during the Eid in the Square festival in Trafalgar Square, London
PA
On Sunday, he will fly west to Co Mayo where he will follow in the footsteps of John Paul II and take part in a religious service at a Holy shrine in Knock.
He will then return to Dublin for the closing centrepiece of the WMOF event - an outdoor Mass in front of an expected congregation of half a million people.
With Ireland in the midst of a high-profile homelessness problem, the Pope will also meet a number of impacted families at a centre run by a religious order.
Join our new commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies