Death of Pope Francis met with profound sadness in Knock and Mayo

The death of Pope Francis has been met with profound sadness in Knock Shrine which was visited by the pontiff on his visit to Mayo in 2018.

Pope Francis visited Knock Shrine on August 26, 2018 as part of his visit to Ireland with hundreds of people braving the rain to welcome him to Mayo.

Following the announcement of Pope Francis' death this morning, Knock Shrine stated that it was a great honour to welcome him to Knock in 2018 and his death has been met with profound sadness.

“It is with profound sadness that we heard this morning of the passing of His Holiness, Pope Francis,” Knock Shrine stated on its Facebook page.

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“It was a great honour for us to welcome him to Knock Shrine in 2018. When he sat in silent prayer in the Apparition Chapel, the hushed reverence that descended on the large crowd who had gathered for the occasion, was a special moment in the history of the Shrine.

“When Pope Francis elevated the status of Knock Shrine in 2021, he emphasised that 'the elevation of the National Sanctuary of Our Lady of Knock to an International Sanctuary of Special Eucharistic and Marian Devotion is a great responsibility. You accept to always have your arms wide open as a sign of welcome to every pilgrim who may arrive from any part of the world, asking nothing in return but only recognizing him as a brother or a sister who desires to share the same experience of fraternal prayer'.

“We thank God and Our Lady for the life and legacy of Pope Francis and we will pray for the happy repose of his soul at all of our daily Masses. May his gentle soul rest in peace,” the statement concluded.

On the second day of the visit to Ireland as part of the World Meeting of Families 2018, Pope Francis was flown to Ireland West Airport Knock where he was greeted by local dignitaries as well as children from local national schools before making his way to Knock Shrine.

Pope Francis addressed approximately 45,000 pilgrims who visited the shrine and held a prayer service inside the shrine's chapel, where he prayed and sought forgiveness for the sex abuse scandals.

On his return to Knock Airport, he delighted Mayo GAA supporters when he signed a Mayo GAA jersey which was later put on display at the airport, before he returned to Dublin.

President of Ireland, Michael D Higgins expressed profound sadness to hear of the death of Pope Francis and said he was honoured to welcome him to Áras an Uachtaráin on his visit in 2018.

"Pope Francis, in his important messages and in the presentation of his Papacy with a unique humility, sought to show in the most striking and moving of ways the extraordinary importance of the spiritual as a powerful source of global ethics in the challenges of contemporary life.

"On the vital issues of our time - such as global hunger and poverty, of climate change and justice, of the plight of migrants and indigenous peoples, of the dispossessed, of the fundamental necessity of global peace and diplomacy - Pope Francis' voice constituted a consistent invocation of a shared humanity that is represented by acknowledgement of the essential dignity of each human person," President Higgin said.

Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland, Eamon Martin said that he wished to express sadness and our feelings of affection and loss upon hearing of the death of the Holy Father Pope Francis this morning. 

"In recent days, and since he was admitted to hospital in February, he has been showing immense courage and serenity in the face of frailty and suffering.  In this, he has been giving such powerful witness to the dignity of human life and to resilience in the face of suffering which has meant so much, especially to those who are struggling with illness, disability or any other difficulty at this time.  Just yesterday, on Easter Sunday he proclaimed from the balcony in Saint Peter's Square Buona  Pasqua! Happy Easter! reminding us that Christ is alive.  Christ is risen.  Christ is our hope.
 
"Pope Francis often said that the face of God is Mercy.  In the coming days, we will remember him with thanksgiving and pray that God will have mercy on his soul and reward him for all the good work he has done," he said.