Ireland's Taoiseach Micheál Martin met with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican on Friday, May 22, the first meeting between a Taoiseach and Pope since 2018.

The Taoiseach told reporters after the meeting that they had a "very wide-ranging discussion on global and international issues," including "abuse carried out by the churches" in Ireland.

The Taoiseach said the Pope was "very clear and frank about the need for the Church to take ownership," adding that he was "very clear in terms of supporting those who have been traumatized by abuse."

He continued: "As we discussed, trauma is enduring ... it doesn't end when you have an inquiry, or when you have an acknowledgement, it's something that endures for the lifetime of an individual who has been the victim of such trauma."

In September 2024, Ireland's Department of Education and Youth announced that a Commission of Investigation would be established following a recommendation in the Report of the Scoping Inquiry that was set up to examine historical sexual abuse in day and boarding schools run by religious orders.

The Scoping Inquiry had been told of some 2,395 allegations of historical sexual abuse, involving 884 alleged abusers in 308 schools across all parts of the country between the years 1927 and 2013. Most of these allegations had been reported from the records of some 42 religious orders that currently or previously ran schools in Ireland.

The Commission of Investigation was established last year and, upon further recommendations of the Scoping Inquiry, it is also considering all primary and post-primary schools as well as the matter of financial redress and how any future scheme could be funded.

Read more

The Taoiseach went on to tell the Press Association on Friday that he raised the issue of the difficulty of engaging with religious orders on reparations.

“I asked that every effort would be made to get the religious orders to engage proactively on the matter of redress," the Taoiseach told the PA.

The Taoiseach said "one or two orders" have come forward, "but a lot of orders haven’t, and that assets are being sold, and that we want those assets allocated, and revenues from them to redress, and that the Government will continue its engagement with the religious orders."

He added: “I think the sense is here that people do need to take ownership of this in terms of religious orders and in terms of issues back in Ireland of this issue.”

Asked if the Pope said he would contact religious orders, the Taosieach told the PA: “I don’t want to be putting words into the Pope’s mouth, but very clearly he’s of a disposition that the Church has to take ownership of this.

“We discussed the issue of trauma itself, that it’s not something that one sort of act or one engagement, he’s very aware of that, that this is an enduring programme of work that doesn’t begin with a Commission of Inquiry or acknowledgement of guilt, but that has to be worked on constantly and on a continuing basis.

“I think he understands this area and the nature of it, and I explained myself that I was involved in establishing the first Commission of Inquiry into the industrial schools when I was a minister of education, and how many years later one would meet people who were victims and survivors, and the trauma stays with people.

“So he was very aware and conscious of that, and I think his response was in the affirmative.”

The Taoiseach added that he extended an invitation for Pope Leo, as well as Cardinal Pietro Parolin, to visit Ireland.

In a statement following Friday's meeting between the Taoiseach and the Pope, the Holy See Press Office said: "During the cordial talks at the Secretariat of State, satisfaction was expressed for the good relations between the Holy See and Ireland.

"Attention then turned to the country’s socio-economic situation, as well as to relations between the local Church and the State, with particular focus on the area of education.

"The conversation continued regarding several regional and international policy issues, including Europe and the Middle East, the prospects for peace in those regions, as well as the question of multilateralism."

Pope Leo XIV receives the Taoiseach of Ireland, Micheál Martin, in audience in the Vatican.https://t.co/LaUt6HPxbr

— Vatican News (@VaticanNews) May 22, 2026

Related: Catholic, Irish Politics