‘No Pope Here.’ Britain, the Vatican, the IRA and the Papal Visit to Ireland, September 1979

Doherty, M.A. 2021. ‘No Pope Here.’ Britain, the Vatican, the IRA and the Papal Visit to Ireland, September 1979. Church History: Studies in Christianity and Culture. 90 (3), pp. 603-620. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0009640721002134

Title‘No Pope Here.’ Britain, the Vatican, the IRA and the Papal Visit to Ireland, September 1979
TypeJournal article
AuthorsDoherty, M.A.
Abstract

It is often assumed, particularly by outsiders, that the conflict in Northern Ireland, known euphemistically as ‘the Troubles’, in which some 3,600 people lost their lives, was an atavistic throwback to Europe’s religious wars of earlier centuries. In 1979, by which time some 2,000 people had already been killed in the Troubles, Pope John Paul II proposed to pay a visit to Ireland, and perhaps to cross the border into Ulster’s sectarian cockpit. The idea provoked outrage from some Ulster protestants and high anxiety for the British, concerned that the Pope might inadvertently enflame the situation or embarrass the British by raising difficult issues. But there were hopes too that an unequivocal condemnation of violence by the head of the Catholic Church, might help to bring the conflict to an end. This article, based on extensive research in diplomatic archives, reveals deep divisions within the Catholic Church on the Irish question and points to the power and limitations of the British diplomatic reach into the Vatican. It reveals also, however, the powerlessness of prayer and pleadings in the face of terrorist violence.

KeywordsPope John Paul II
Ireland
Vatican
Irish Republican Army
IRA
JournalChurch History: Studies in Christianity and Culture
Journal citation90 (3), pp. 603-620
ISSN0009-6407
1755-2613
Year2021
PublisherCambridge University Press
American Society of Church History
Publisher's version
License
CC BY 4.0
File Access Level
Open (open metadata and files)
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1017/S0009640721002134
Publication dates
Published online17 Dec 2021

Related outputs

‘Roving Vultures’. Television News and the Outbreak of the Troubles in Northern Ireland
Doherty, M.A. 2019. ‘Roving Vultures’. Television News and the Outbreak of the Troubles in Northern Ireland. Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television. 39 (4), pp. 864-881. https://doi.org/10.1080/01439685.2019.1600915

Tackling the terrorists: the experience of internment without trial in Northern Ireland
Doherty, M.A. 2015. Tackling the terrorists: the experience of internment without trial in Northern Ireland. Journal on European History of Law. 6 (1), pp. 76-83.

Religion, community relations and constructive unionism: the Arlow disturbances of 1890-1892
Doherty, M.A. 2005. Religion, community relations and constructive unionism: the Arlow disturbances of 1890-1892. in: Murphy, J.H. (ed.) Evangelicals and Catholics in nineteenth-century Ireland Dublin, Ireland Four Courts Press. pp. 223-234

The attack on the Altmark: a case study in wartime propaganda
Doherty, M.A. 2003. The attack on the Altmark: a case study in wartime propaganda. Journal of Contemporary History. 38 (2), pp. 187-200. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022009403038002129

Nazi Wireless Propaganda: Lord Haw-Haw and British Public Opinion in the Second World War
Doherty, M.A. 2000. Nazi Wireless Propaganda: Lord Haw-Haw and British Public Opinion in the Second World War. Edinburgh Edinburgh University Press.

Kevin Barry and the Anglo-Irish Propaganda War
Doherty, M.A. 2000. Kevin Barry and the Anglo-Irish Propaganda War. Irish Historical Studies. 32 (126), pp. 217-231. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0021121400014851

Black Propaganda by Radio: the German Concordia broadcasts to Britain 1940–1941
Doherty, M.A. 1994. Black Propaganda by Radio: the German Concordia broadcasts to Britain 1940–1941. Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television. 14 (2), pp. 167-197. https://doi.org/10.1080/01439689400260141

Permalink - https://westminsterresearch.westminster.ac.uk/item/v24qx/-no-pope-here-britain-the-vatican-the-ira-and-the-papal-visit-to-ireland-september-1979


Share this

Usage statistics

414 total views
104 total downloads
These values cover views and downloads from WestminsterResearch and are for the period from September 2nd 2018, when this repository was created.