When this weekend's visit to Ireland by Pope Francis is over, people around the world will have picked up some confusing messages about a land long revered as a cradle of saints and religious scholars. On one hand, the Irish republic is much less Catholic than it was in 1979 when a previous pontiff, John Paul II, toured the island and electrified its people. On the other, the Catholic faith retains a large residual strength. For better or worse, the Catholic faith or memories of the faith still influence those who are outside its ranks.
As we write in the Charlemagne column this week, the share of Irish people who say they attend mass regularly has fallen to barely three in ten from eight in ten a few decades ago. But this still makes Ireland one of the more devout nations in Europe. Among Irish citizens aged between 16 and 29, nearly 40% say they have no religion. But then 91% of Czechs, 75% of Swedes and 70% of Brits in that age bracket deny any religious affiliation.
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