Blessed John XXIII and Blessed John Paul II will be canonised by Pope Francis in Saint Peter’s Square in Rome on Sunday April 27 2014, Divine Mercy Sunday.  There will be live coverage of the Mass for the canonisations from 0855-1100 on RTÉ One Television with commentary by Fr Dermod McCarthy and Mary Kennedy.  RTÉ will also be broadcasting a special edition of Beyond Belief at 10.30pm on RTÉ One television on Sunday April 27 in which presenter Mick Peelo will remind viewers of the lives of Pope John Paul II and Pope John XXIII and explore the meaning, purpose and process of sainthood. Bishop John Fleming, Bishop of Killala will be participating in the panel on this programme. Bishop Fleming was Vice Rector and Rector of the Pontifical Irish College in Rome.

Ahead of the canonisations, the Catholic Communications Office has created a special web feature, including background information on the two new saints, in addition to information about special events which are happening across Ireland to commemorate this special event.

This web feature contains information on:

  • The process of becomming a saint
  • The miracles attributed to Blessed John XXIII and Blessed John Paul II
  • Biographies
  • Details of Irish bishops attending the canonisation
  • Events in Ireland to coincide with the canonisations
  • Details of broadcast of the ceremonies
  • Details of Irish cinemas showing the ceremonies live in 3D
  • Special commemorative booklets from Veritas

Of particular interest to an Irish audience are details of special events which will take place in Ireland, including:

A Pilgrim Walk of Thanksgiving for the Canonisations of the two Popes will take place during Easter Week from Dublin to Clonmacnois.  It will commence at Saint Saviour’s Church, Dominic Street, Dublin on Tuesday 22 April after 8.30am Mass and will arrive in Clonmacnois on Saturday evening 26 April.  The pilgrim walk will pass through Maynooth on Tuesday 22, Carbury on Wednesday 23, Daingean on Thursday 24, Clara on Friday 25 and arrive in Clonmacnois on the evening of Saturday 26 April to join in a local vigil and stay overnight for Mass on Sunday at 3pm which will be celebrated by Bishop Francis Duffy, Bishop of Ardagh and Clonmacnois.

A celebration at the Ballybrit Racecourse, Galway on 27 April to mark the occasion.

A special Mass of Thanksgiving for Saints John Paul II and John XVIII on Sunday 27 April at 3.00pm in Knock Basilica. The principal celebrant and homilist will be His Excellency Archbishop Charles J Brown, Papal Nuncio.

On Saturday 3 May at the Pope’s Cross (Papal Monument) in Killineer, Co Louth, there will be a gathering to celebrate the canonisations. Archbishop Eamon Martin, Coadjutor Archbishop of Armagh will be present for this gathering which will include prayers, music and excerpts from the address of Pope John Paul II when he spoke there in September 1979. Members of the Polish Community will participate in this event.

Irish Cinemas showing the Canonisation Ceremony in 3D

Omniverse Vision in partnership with Nexo Digital and Sky 3D has announced that the double canonisation of John Paul II and John XXIII will be broadcast to cinemas across the UK and Ireland in 3D live from Vatican City on Sunday 27 April. At a recent press conference in the Vatican, CTV chief Monsignor Dario Vigano said the live transmission will require “more satellites than the Sochi Olympics.” Vigano underlined that the Vatican decided to offer the canonisation ceremony to the world in 3D in order to give people who would want to attend but cannot, for many reasons including economic ones, the chance to get a “fully immersive” experience. The production will use thirteen 3D cameras positioned in spots that will give a unique and exclusive vantage point of Saint Peter’s Square. A number of cinemas in Ireland are showing the canonisation ceremonies live in 3D. The Dublin cinemas taking part are:  Cineworld; Movies @ Dundrum; Movies @ Swords

Finally, the feature includes a link to some of the audio recordings from the visit of Pope John Paul II to Ireland in 1979.

The feature is on the Catholic Bishops’ website www.catholicbishops.ie. To access the feature please click here.