IRELAND
The Irish Mirror
February 11, 2018
By Gavin O’Callaghan and Edel Hughes
The visit is expected to cost €20m
The Catholic Church in Ireland is trying to persuade wealthy followers to donate millions of euro to pay for the Pope’s visit here.
The World Meeting of Families, which will take place from August 21 to 26, is estimated to cost around €20million.
And the collection bowl is being passed to rich followers and businesses who will be asked to dig deep and contribute thousands of euro.
A spokesman for the organisers said the Church is following methods used by charities and a “limited number of tickets” were put aside for donations.
He added: “ WMOF2018 is in the process of approaching a number of individuals and corporates, both in Ireland and internationally, to assist in defraying the cost of hosting the event.
“In our conversations with potential donors, we are discussing the nature of the event and asking them if they would like to contribute.
“From our conversations with potential donors, we understand this practice of seeking donations from individuals and corporates is very common in the charity sector.
“The level of an individual’s or corporate donation is their own decision.”
The source told the Sunday Business Post the event will include a concluding mass in Dublin’s Croke Park with a “limited supply” being set aside for contributors.
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