主播大秀

Pope Francis is to visit Ireland in August - the first papal visit to the country for almost 40 years. The last time a Pope was in Ireland was 1979, when John Paul II drew crowds of more than two and half million - more than half the population of the country. How has Ireland’s Catholicism changed in the meantime?

Pope Francis will definitely find a more secular Ireland with the role of the Church greatly diminished. But many will still come to see the Pope: half a million tickets have already been taken for his visit to Phoenix Park, Dublin.

Nuala McGovern, who went to see the Pope as a young girl in 1979, speaks to other people who were there to hear if their faith has changed and if so why. She returns to her home town of Dublin and joins worshippers at Saturday evening Mass, and talks to locals as she pulls a pint of Guinness at her father’s pub.

She meets Michael McLoughlin, who sang a solo at a youth rally for Pope John Paul, but has since lost his faith. And Colm O’Gorman, who’s known in Ireland as 'the man who sued the Pope'. Nuala meets one of a growing number of 'cultural Catholics' who follow the traditions of the Church without adhering to the faith; and also hears from a theologian who’s trying to reform the church from within by including women in positions of power.

Despite the Catholic Church’s waning influence, as shown by the votes to legalise same-sex marriage and give women the right to an abortion, there are still many in Ireland fighting to keep the countries’ reputation as a traditional and loyal outpost on the Catholic map. They include a core of devout young people who are determined to hang onto their faith in the face of a shifting culture, and their voices will also be heard in this programme.

• Produced by Lindsay Leonard for 主播大秀 World Service

Publicity contact: EM3