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Pope Benedict confirms he will not attend Eucharistic Congress in Dublin

Cardinal Marc Ouellet to represent Pope

CATHY HAYES,

IrishCentral.com Staff Writer

Published Sunday, April 8, 2012, 7:49 AM

Updated Sunday, April 8, 2012, 7:49 AM

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Pope Benedict XVI

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The Vatican has confirmed that Pope Benedict XVI will not attend the 50th International Eucharistic Congress (IEC) in Dublin this summer.

A communiqué from the Vatican on Saturday announced that Cardinal Marc Ouellet, Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops, will be representing the Pope at the June event. Cardinal Ouellet is the former Archbishop of Quebec City, which hosted the last International Congress in June 2008.

There was mounting speculation in recent months that the 84-year-old Pontiff would visit Ireland for the conference which is expected to attract an estimated 25,000 attendees each day. The congress, which takes place every four-years, will run from the 10-17 June at the RDS in Dublin City. The concluding mass at Croke Park on June 17 is expected to attract 80,000 people.

Speaking about Cardinal Marc Ouellet’s appointment, the Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin described him a strong voice for the Church in a changing situation.

“As Archbishop of Quebec, Cardinal Ouellet had to face a very similar social and pastoral context to that which we have in Dublin, where traditional Catholicism was challenged by a rapid secularization.”

He added: “The Congress will be an occasion to show-case what is happening pastorally in the Archdiocese and to give a warm welcome to the thousands of guests coming from overseas.”

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Demirarslan | Jun 15, 2012, 08:55 AM EDT

Poor Sad Katie Murphy.you do not need to be ignorant to get your point across,but you could be a little better read, the crusades started out to stop the slaughter of Christans by muslims'I know things became corrupt but that is human nature.If you are going cry for plight of the muslim, maybe you should read a little on what the Muslim did to all christian and other faiths,and are still doing. But the benifit of being christian is we are taught to forgive, remember( Revenge is mine says the Lord)all things will be accounted for,this life is short so try not to spoil it for your self,by your venom spitting, the least said easiest mended. the church is alive and well among those who always believed. God bless you I will pray for you, you poor poor thing.

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paloverde | Jun 02, 2012, 01:47 PM EDT

Who would hold a "Eucharistic Congress" with out the Holy Father! To hold a Eucharistic Congress without him, is ignoring the chair of Saint Peter, while the SSPX deny the person elected to the chair, those who elected Enda McKinney ignore the person elected to The Chair. What is the difference between those who ignore the chair, and those who deny the presence of the Person elected to the chair? They are anathema.

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Gearoid4 | Apr 09, 2012, 05:43 PM EDT

The usual refrains of the welcoming committee on IC, with regards to the pope, can be read in the comments below. The IC as usual always searches for the worst possible light to present the Catholic Church in terms of a story. The pope hopefully will get a favorable opportunity to visit his flock in Ireland in the near future and impart some of his great spiritual insights to them. I specially hope that he will visit his flock in the north of Ireland in particular, as they richly deserve such an overdue pleasure.

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KatieMurphy | Apr 08, 2012, 10:01 PM EDT

Time o built a gate infront of the vatican gate - and weld it shut.............Bennie doest have the guts to take the truth he would be faced with.............The church is all but dead in Ireland, the most catholic country in the world..... Of course really I dont want Bennie to attend - the old man might die before his God ordained job is done - wrecking the church that in many ways has been the curse of the west. Try the xtian cursades that killed 10s of millions of Muslims.................Try the abuse scandal...............Try the hatre df jews that created the foundation for the holocaust by willing germans - most of them, as well as that maniac AH's gaining election.

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pilib04 | Apr 08, 2012, 09:02 PM EDT

Yeah, I'm not sure this would be the right year for Pope Benedict to visit. Besides which, I thought the next papal visit was to include Northern Ireland.?

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irish5047Damien | Apr 08, 2012, 02:30 PM EDT

I wonder is it anything to do with the fact that they cant afford the $1.84Billion debt left by their seedy members of the "Holy Orders"

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CelticQueenUSA | Apr 08, 2012, 01:34 PM EDT

It's nice to know he realizes his welcome would be less than 100 thousant!! Stay in Rome until you realize the errors of your ways. Obviously the secular community has been silent too long. Take a stand and speak up!

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Collette2 | Apr 08, 2012, 12:26 PM EDT

What a lot of codswallop coming from Martin, it's nothing to do with secularization. Childrens lives have been brutilized, I don't under stand how any of them can show their faces. Talk about narcissism.

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