Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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Question 90: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he has received a report into the Ireland Stand Up meeting held on 18 January 2012; and his views on their request regarding the Vatican Embassy and an invitation to the Pope to visit Ireland for the Eucharistic Congress in June 2012. [4792/12]

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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A senior official from the Department of the Taoiseach and the Secretary General of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Ireland's Ambassador-designate to the Holy See, attended the meeting of the Ireland Stand Up campaign on 18 January 2012. They both spoke with members of the Ireland Stand Up campaign about their concerns. As was outlined in my statement of 3 November last year, the decision of the Government to close our embassy to the Holy See and to appoint a non-resident Ambassador was driven by economic factors deriving from our need to cut public expenditure and focus the modest resources of our diplomatic service on economic recovery. The total cost saving in a full year is estimated at €845,000.

The Government will continue to review our diplomatic network and it may be that, as public finances recover, we will at some time in the future be able to reopen a modest resident embassy to the Holy See. I understand that the Catholic Bishops have issued an invitation to Pope Benedict to visit Ireland on the occasion of the International Eucharistic Congress in 2012, and that this invitation is under consideration by the Holy See. As I have made clear previously, if the Government receives an indication that the Pope wishes to travel to Ireland for the Eucharistic Congress, or on a subsequent occasion, the Government will be more than ready to issue a formal invitation and to welcome him to Ireland. The willingness of the Government to invite Pope Benedict to Ireland was made very clear by our Ambassador designate, when he met Vatican officials in Rome earlier this month.

Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)
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Question 91: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if it is his intention to issue an invitation, either personal or on behalf of the Government, to His Holiness Pope Benedict to Dublin for the fiftieth Eucharist Congress to be held in Dublin between 10 and 17 June 2012; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4793/12]

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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I understand that the Catholic Bishops have issued an invitation to Pope Benedict to visit Ireland on the occasion of the International Eucharistic Congress in 2012, and that this invitation is under consideration by the Holy See. If the Government receives an indication that the Pope wishes to travel to Ireland for the Eucharistic Congress, or on a subsequent occasion, the Government will be more than ready to issue a formal invitation and to welcome him to Ireland. The willingness of the Government to invite Pope Benedict to Ireland was also made very clear by our Ambassador designate, when he met Vatican officials in Rome earlier this month.