LAST UPDATE | 22 May

TAOISEACH MICHEÁL MARTIN said he asked Pope Leo XIV that “every effort” be made to get religious orders to engage on redress for historical abuse.

Martin met with Pope Leo today at the Vatican and will later meet Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni as part of preparations for Ireland holding the presidency of the EU Council from July.

Martin and his wife Mary were greeted in the San Damaso Courtyard this morning by the Prefect of the Papal Household, Petar Rajic and the papal gentlemen.

Martin and his wife with Pope Leo at the Vatican Vatican Media Vatican Media

The meeting was the first meeting between a Taoiseach and pope since 2018, when Leo Varadkar met the late Pope Francis. 

Martin said afterwards that Leo was “very clear and frank” that the Church needs to support survivors of abuse.

Successive governments have had difficulty in getting religious orders to pay redress to victims of sexual abuse.

Only a handful of eight religious bodies linked to mother and baby homes in Ireland have agreed to contribute towards a €267 million redress scheme.

Last year, a commission of investigation was established into allegations of historical sex abuse in schools in Ireland.

A scoping inquiry found some 2,395 allegations of sexual abuse in day and boarding schools in Ireland run by religious orders, involving 884 alleged abusers in 308 schools across the country, between 1927 and 2013.

The Office of the Attorney General, the Department of Education and other state bodies have been exploring legal options that could force religious orders to pay for redress.

Swiss Guard in San Damasso Courtyard, Vatican City, ahead of Taoiseach Micheal Martin's arrival for a meeting with Pope Leo XIV Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

After meeting the pope for around 45 minutes, Martin met with the Holy See Cardinal Secretary of State, Pietro Parolin, and then travelled to the Pontifical Irish College in Rome to meet members of the college community.

Asked at the college by the Press Association if he raised the issue of the difficulty with engaging with religious orders on reparations, Martin said: “I did.

“I asked that every effort would be made to get the religious orders to engage proactively on the matter of redress.

“I did point out that because we’ve established a Commission of Inquiry into day schools and boarding schools, and that some orders – one or two orders – have come forward, but a lot of orders haven’t, and that assets are being sold, and that we want those assets allocated, and revenues from them to redress, and that the Government will continue its engagement with the religious orders.

“I think the sense is here that people do need to take ownership of this in terms of religious orders and in terms of issues back in Ireland of this issue.”

Pope Leo with Micheál Martin Vatican Media Vatican Media

Asked if Leo said he would contact religious orders, Martin said: “I don’t want to be putting words into the pope’s mouth, but very clearly he’s of a disposition that the Church has to take ownership of this.

“We discussed the issue of trauma itself, that it’s not something that one sort of act or one engagement, he’s very aware of that, that this is an enduring programme of work that doesn’t begin with a Commission of Inquiry or acknowledgement of guilt, but that has to be worked on constantly and on a continuing basis.

“I think he understands this area and the nature of it, and I explained myself that I was involved in establishing the first Commission of Inquiry into the industrial schools when I was a minister of education, and how many years later one would meet people who were victims and survivors, and the trauma stays with people.

“So he was very aware and conscious of that, and I think his response was in the affirmative.”

Very pleased to meet with the Pope Leo XIV in The Vatican today.

We discussed the need for peace globally and reflected on the Irish experience of not just achieving an agreement, but nurturing peace and building reconciliation. 🇮🇪🇻🇦

📸: Vatican Media pic.twitter.com/PtieyGrOyV

— Micheál Martin (@MichealMartinTD) May 22, 2026

Martin also said he had invited the pope to Ireland and told him “we really would appreciate a visit”.

“So that, please God, will happen at some stage,” he added.

He said the Pope is “concerned about war and conflict across the world” and they discussed conflicts including those in Sudan, Gaza and the West Bank.

Martin added that Leo “was interested in the cessation of conflict in Northern Ireland” and also on how to sustain and nurture peace.

“I pointed out to him that it’s one thing to achieve a peace in terms of an agreement, but the much more difficult task is actually nurturing that peace along building reconciliation, and he was interested in the Irish experience,” said Martin.

“It’s very clear, human dignity and suffering and the end of violence was very much the top priority of Pope Leo.”

Pope Leo with Micheál Martin and wife Mary at the Vatican Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

A readout of the meeting from the Vatican described the meeting as “cordial” and added that “satisfaction was expressed for the good relations between the Holy See and Ireland”.

The Vatican said “attention then turned to the country’s socio-economic situation, as well as to relations between the local Church and the State, with particular focus on the area of education”.

The Vatican added that “several regional and international policy issues, including Europe and the Middle East, the prospects for peace in those regions,” were also discussed.