KNOCK (IRELAND)
Reuters
August 22, 2018
By Clodagh Kilcoyne
Bernie and Tom Byrne can barely conceal their excitement as they prepare for a visit to Ireland by Pope Francis that they hope will bring back the young believers that have deserted the Catholic church after decades of scandal.
Their grandfather Dominic was one of at least twenty-two people that claimed to see Mary, Joseph and John the Evangelist hovering near the gable end of the local church in the western Irish village of Knock on a rainy evening in August 1879.
Francis will pray at the Knock shrine as part of his two-day visit to Ireland this week, the first by a Pope in almost 40 years that have transformed the once staunchly Catholic country into a far more secular and liberal society. tmsnrt.rs/2N95yFI
“Houses are being painted and streets are being scrubbed… trying to get everything ready for him, even though it’s only a short visit,” said Bernie, 74, who like his brother Tom, runs a small shop selling religious goods to the 1.5 million pilgrims that come to Knock each year.
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