THE DECISION by Pope John Paul II not to visit Armagh when he came to Ireland in 1979 was a “victory by Paisley”, then taoiseach Jack Lynch believed, according to newly released State papers.
The documents show that the government had hoped the pope would visit Armagh when he came to Ireland in 1979 but this was blocked by the British government which believed his travelling across the Border would be “the cause of violence”.
Confidential files released under the 30-year rule also show the government was deeply concerned about the threat of an assassination attempt against the pope.
The “slow speed” motorcade which brought John Paul from Dublin airport to Áras an Uachtaráin was identified as particularly high risk, and the then Garda commissioner conceded “no security measures which the gardaí could implement would guarantee the pope’s safety”.
Other files indicate the Vatican was impatient with the government’s lack of plans for the visit and had warned there was a danger of it being abandoned because “not enough work has been done on preparing it”.
The papal visit began on September 29th and lasted three days.
The pope’s first event was at the Phoenix Park, Dublin, where he said Mass for one million people. He also travelled to Maynooth, Drogheda, Galway, Knock and Limerick. There was speculation that he would visit Armagh, but four weeks before the trip to Ireland, the Holy See announced he would not travel north of the Border.
Then British prime minister Margaret Thatcher had said she would welcome a visit by Pope John Paul II to the UK, but “not by the back door”. The Rev Ian Paisley, the then leader of the DUP, had said a visit from the pope was “not on”. He formed a group to expressly oppose it.
A note from the taoiseachs office in July said Lynch would recommend to cardinal Tomas Ó Fiaich that Northern Ireland should be included. “Its omission would highlight the existence of the Border and would be regarded as a victory by Paisley,” the note said.
In a coded telex sent from the Irish ambassador in London, Edward Kennedy, to the Department of Foreign Affairs in August, Kennedy said he spoke with then British minister of state Michael Alison who had a “clever line” on the issue of the pope’s visit.
It included Thatcher’s stance, but also included the remark “if the pope were to go to Armagh and other centres from the Republic now, it would be the cause of violence and bitterness which might set back the hopes of reconciliation and progress”.
A further telex noted a conversation with the late SDLP founder Gerry Fitt, who said if the pope did not go to Armagh, the Catholic community would interpret it as a “victory for Paisley” and this would drive large numbers “into the arms of the provisionals”.
In late August, after the murder of Lord Mountbatten and three others on his boat off Mullaghmore Co Sligo, the Holy See issued a statement on the pope’s visit.
“With deep regret, due to the dreadful murders of recent days, it has now been decided not to include a venue in Northern Ireland in the papal visit.”
Security for the visit to Ireland was high. A plan revealed in the State papers of the Department of the Taoiseach showed the Garda commissioner believed if desperate persons planned to kill the pope, “no security measures which the gardaí could implement would guarantee the pope’s safety”.
A security plan, dated September 12th, included precautions against sabotage or hijacking of the Aer Lingus Boeing 747 which carried the pope to Ireland. The plan noted “all outdoor appearances of the pope pose sizeable security problems”. They anticipated attacks by sniper fire, personal attack, bombs or the air.
At Dublin airport, air traffic was suspended for three hours.
Identified risks at the Phoenix Park and other venues attended by the pope included bombs planted near the altar, attacks by sniper or by a member of the congregation or the sabotage or explosion of the popemobile, in which the pope was to be driven through the crowds. No aircraft were permitted to fly over the area.
The highest risk was deemed to be the motorcade “at slow speed” from the airport to Áras an Uachtaráin through built-up areas. Timber cover at Tullyesker near Drogheda, 28 miles from the Border, also posed a risk and a boat was deployed on the Shannon in case of emergency at Clonmacnoise.
All measures would be implemented to “deter, detect and prevent any hostile activities against the pope”, the report said. “It must be borne in mind, however, that if desperate persons plan to kill the pope, no security measures which the gardaí could implement would guarantee the pope’s safety.”
Other documents indicated the Vatican was unhappy with the government’s preparations. An Irish Embassy official in Rome reported back to Dublin after a meeting with Msgr Eamon Marron, a leading Irish church figure in the Holy See, that there was a danger the visit could be shelved.
“A firm decision on a visit to Ireland is being delayed because ‘not enough work has been done on preparing it’,” he quoted the senior cleric. “Though the monsignor is confident the pope is going to Ireland, he referred to the danger, as he saw it, that the pope would have to make a negative decision because the ‘preparatory work’ had not been done.”
Msgr Marron stated it was “now up to the government to take the initiative” as the pontiff needed a preliminary schedule from the government before he could agree, according to the files.
The files also show Aer Lingus worked with the Irish Embassy in Rome to secure a publicity coup for the airline in transporting the pope during his visit.
One progress report on the issue stated the request was referred “upstairs with a strong recommendation” in the Vatican.
