The Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference has listed on its website some resources for use in dioceses, parishes and in the home during the Season of Creation 2020.

"The statues will serve as an ongoing reminder to pray for all of those who fell in the Falklands War, while also giving us a symbol of unity in faith and an aid to our prayers for peace," says the UK's Bishop of the Forces, Paul Mason.

The tour, which began in Belfast, will include visits to Derry, Tuam, Dublin, Knock and the archdiocese of Cashel and Emly.

"I worry when I see young people who have 'thrown in the towel' before the game has even begun, who are defeated even before they begin to play, who walk around glumly as if life has no meaning."

Papal visit coincides with the 80th anniversary of the renewal of diplomatic relations between the Republic of Cuba and the Holy See.

Speaking as the son of a Knock Shrine steward and handmaid, Archbishop Neary said he was “very conscious of the dedication which they bring to their work”.