Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Vatican confirmed this morning that Pope Francis will visit Ireland for the World Meeting of Families in Dublin on 25 and 26 August. While it is not a formal State visit, it is the visit of a Head of State and the spiritual leader of 1 billion Catholics, and millions of Catholics in this country. He is certainly a welcome guest and I look forward to greeting him during his visit. There will be appropriate involvement of civil authorities, including security, public safety, protocol and co-ordination.

See this speech in context