Pope Francis honours Ireland’s Knock Shrine with special statusThe Pope on Friday evening will deliver a special message via video link recognising Knock Shrine as an International Marian and Eucharistic Shrine. This honour comes nearly two and a half years after Pope Francis visited the Marian Shrine, located in the west of Ireland, during his Apostolic Visit to the country for the World Meeting of Families. He also noted that Pope Francis, by visiting the this place of pilgrimage in 2018, had an understanding “of what the Shrine means to the Irish people and also the importance of the message”. Our Lady of KnockApart from the Apostolic Visit, the Marian Shrine at Knock participated at the inaugural “Sunday of the Word of God” Mass presided over by Pope Francis in St Peter’s Basilica in January 2020. Knock Shrine amid the pandemicIreland at present is continuing to adhere to level 5 lockdown restrictions, which means that Masses continue to be followed online.

Source: The Herald March 19, 2021 09:56 UTC