Pope Francis turned up at Croke Park last night to lead the World Festival of Families, and Sportsfile were on hand at GAA HQ to capture a few images.
Here are some of them.
The leader of an age-old institution struggling to remedy the alienation of its grassroots members meets Pope Francis
![pope francis at croke park](https://img.resized.co/balls_ie/eyJkYXRhIjoie1widXJsXCI6XCJodHRwczpcXFwvXFxcL21lZGlhLmJhbGxzLmllXFxcL3VwbG9hZHNcXFwvMjAxOFxcXC8wOFxcXC8yNjExMzY0MFxcXC8xNTYzODg5LmpwZ1wiLFwid2lkdGhcIjpcIjYwMVwiLFwiaGVpZ2h0XCI6XCI0NTlcIixcImRlZmF1bHRcIjpcImh0dHBzOlxcXC9cXFwvd3d3LmJhbGxzLmllXFxcL2ltYWdlc1xcXC9icmFuZC1pbWFnZS5qcGdcIixcIm9wdGlvbnNcIjp7XCJvdXRwdXRcIjpcIndlYnBcIixcInF1YWxpdHlcIjo5OX19IiwiaGFzaCI6ImRlZjJhMDM3Yjg1ZjM3MTU4MDNmZjM2ODdhNmE4OTY4MDI0N2EyYzAifQ==/gallery-the-pope-turns-up-at-croke-park.jpg)
'Let us pause for a moment of reflection...'
![](https://img.resized.co/balls_ie/eyJkYXRhIjoie1widXJsXCI6XCJodHRwczpcXFwvXFxcL21lZGlhLmJhbGxzLmllXFxcL3VwbG9hZHNcXFwvMjAxOFxcXC8wOFxcXC8yNjExNDEzN1xcXC8xNTYzNzc3LmpwZ1wiLFwid2lkdGhcIjpcIjYwMVwiLFwiaGVpZ2h0XCI6XCI0NDlcIixcImRlZmF1bHRcIjpcImh0dHBzOlxcXC9cXFwvd3d3LmJhbGxzLmllXFxcL2ltYWdlc1xcXC9icmFuZC1pbWFnZS5qcGdcIixcIm9wdGlvbnNcIjp7XCJvdXRwdXRcIjpcIndlYnBcIixcInF1YWxpdHlcIjo5OX19IiwiaGFzaCI6ImZhOGJkOGJiMTYwMjBiNDQzNWU5ZDViMzViNmFhMDNiNzg0Y2Y3YTgifQ==/gallery-the-pope-turns-up-at-croke-park.jpg)
'Can we not limit the number of handpasses or something?'
![](https://img.resized.co/balls_ie/eyJkYXRhIjoie1widXJsXCI6XCJodHRwczpcXFwvXFxcL21lZGlhLmJhbGxzLmllXFxcL3VwbG9hZHNcXFwvMjAxOFxcXC8wOFxcXC8yNjExNDE0NlxcXC8xNTY0MDIyLmpwZ1wiLFwid2lkdGhcIjpcIjUwMVwiLFwiaGVpZ2h0XCI6XCI2OTBcIixcImRlZmF1bHRcIjpcImh0dHBzOlxcXC9cXFwvd3d3LmJhbGxzLmllXFxcL2ltYWdlc1xcXC9icmFuZC1pbWFnZS5qcGdcIixcIm9wdGlvbnNcIjp7XCJvdXRwdXRcIjpcIndlYnBcIixcInF1YWxpdHlcIjo5OX19IiwiaGFzaCI6Ijc5ZGM5NDk0NjEzMWIxZTgyZjNhMTdkODkyYzhmNTgyMDg2OGQ0MTMifQ==/gallery-the-pope-turns-up-at-croke-park.jpg)
'Are you St Peter?'
![](https://img.resized.co/balls_ie/eyJkYXRhIjoie1widXJsXCI6XCJodHRwczpcXFwvXFxcL21lZGlhLmJhbGxzLmllXFxcL3VwbG9hZHNcXFwvMjAxOFxcXC8wOFxcXC8yNjExNDE0M1xcXC8xNTYzNzc5LmpwZ1wiLFwid2lkdGhcIjpcIjU5OFwiLFwiaGVpZ2h0XCI6XCIzNjNcIixcImRlZmF1bHRcIjpcImh0dHBzOlxcXC9cXFwvd3d3LmJhbGxzLmllXFxcL2ltYWdlc1xcXC9icmFuZC1pbWFnZS5qcGdcIixcIm9wdGlvbnNcIjp7XCJvdXRwdXRcIjpcIndlYnBcIixcInF1YWxpdHlcIjo5OX19IiwiaGFzaCI6ImI4Y2M4YzNkZDIwMmJjYWU5YzRjZWEzMmJkMzgxNzIxZDQ3NGQ4ODIifQ==/gallery-the-pope-turns-up-at-croke-park.jpg)
'It's better than Leicester, anyway'
![pope francis at croke park](https://img.resized.co/balls_ie/eyJkYXRhIjoie1widXJsXCI6XCJodHRwczpcXFwvXFxcL21lZGlhLmJhbGxzLmllXFxcL3VwbG9hZHNcXFwvMjAxOFxcXC8wOFxcXC8yNjExNTY0NVxcXC8xNTY0MDIwLmpwZ1wiLFwid2lkdGhcIjpcIjQ5OVwiLFwiaGVpZ2h0XCI6XCI3NDlcIixcImRlZmF1bHRcIjpcImh0dHBzOlxcXC9cXFwvd3d3LmJhbGxzLmllXFxcL2ltYWdlc1xcXC9icmFuZC1pbWFnZS5qcGdcIixcIm9wdGlvbnNcIjp7XCJvdXRwdXRcIjpcIndlYnBcIixcInF1YWxpdHlcIjo5OX19IiwiaGFzaCI6ImMwMDA4MDg0YjQ5YjQxZjQzNTNmZDg5Mjc2YTE1MTE1YzkwMGIwMjEifQ==/gallery-the-pope-turns-up-at-croke-park.jpg)
'Yeah, he tried to play here for five nights, the mad egotist'
![pope francis at croke park](https://img.resized.co/balls_ie/eyJkYXRhIjoie1widXJsXCI6XCJodHRwczpcXFwvXFxcL21lZGlhLmJhbGxzLmllXFxcL3VwbG9hZHNcXFwvMjAxOFxcXC8wOFxcXC8yNjEyMDAzOVxcXC8xNTY0MTMxLmpwZ1wiLFwid2lkdGhcIjpcIjYwMVwiLFwiaGVpZ2h0XCI6XCIzNzhcIixcImRlZmF1bHRcIjpcImh0dHBzOlxcXC9cXFwvd3d3LmJhbGxzLmllXFxcL2ltYWdlc1xcXC9icmFuZC1pbWFnZS5qcGdcIixcIm9wdGlvbnNcIjp7XCJvdXRwdXRcIjpcIndlYnBcIixcInF1YWxpdHlcIjo5OX19IiwiaGFzaCI6ImU5NzlkMWQzMWViZDE1ZWNkNzVjMjNhZWQ2ZjFiOTBjNDEyMGE4ODQifQ==/gallery-the-pope-turns-up-at-croke-park.jpg)
'How do you like that, Bernard Flynn!?'
![pope francis at croke park](https://img.resized.co/balls_ie/eyJkYXRhIjoie1widXJsXCI6XCJodHRwczpcXFwvXFxcL21lZGlhLmJhbGxzLmllXFxcL3VwbG9hZHNcXFwvMjAxOFxcXC8wOFxcXC8yNjEyMDMwNVxcXC8xNTYzOTUyLmpwZ1wiLFwid2lkdGhcIjpcIjU5OVwiLFwiaGVpZ2h0XCI6XCI0MDJcIixcImRlZmF1bHRcIjpcImh0dHBzOlxcXC9cXFwvd3d3LmJhbGxzLmllXFxcL2ltYWdlc1xcXC9icmFuZC1pbWFnZS5qcGdcIixcIm9wdGlvbnNcIjp7XCJvdXRwdXRcIjpcIndlYnBcIixcInF1YWxpdHlcIjo5OX19IiwiaGFzaCI6IjM0N2E3Yjk2YjdmODgxY2E3MTUzNTg3ZTVlMTJjY2NiZWRhM2ZlNDcifQ==/gallery-the-pope-turns-up-at-croke-park.jpg)
'Plan B'
![pope francis at croke park](https://img.resized.co/balls_ie/eyJkYXRhIjoie1widXJsXCI6XCJodHRwczpcXFwvXFxcL21lZGlhLmJhbGxzLmllXFxcL3VwbG9hZHNcXFwvMjAxOFxcXC8wOFxcXC8yNjEyMDQ1MVxcXC8xNTYzOTM2LmpwZ1wiLFwid2lkdGhcIjpcIjYwMFwiLFwiaGVpZ2h0XCI6XCIzNjBcIixcImRlZmF1bHRcIjpcImh0dHBzOlxcXC9cXFwvd3d3LmJhbGxzLmllXFxcL2ltYWdlc1xcXC9icmFuZC1pbWFnZS5qcGdcIixcIm9wdGlvbnNcIjp7XCJvdXRwdXRcIjpcIndlYnBcIixcInF1YWxpdHlcIjo5OX19IiwiaGFzaCI6IjczY2ZjMDI0ZmIyZDNhNGM0ZjYzNzQyZGU0YTdiMjM5MTY2MzU4ZGUifQ==/gallery-the-pope-turns-up-at-croke-park.jpg)
Elsewhere, Alan Kerins got a chance to address the crowd...
![](https://img.resized.co/balls_ie/eyJkYXRhIjoie1widXJsXCI6XCJodHRwczpcXFwvXFxcL21lZGlhLmJhbGxzLmllXFxcL3VwbG9hZHNcXFwvMjAxOFxcXC8wOFxcXC8yNjExNDEzM1xcXC8xNTYzODcyLmpwZ1wiLFwid2lkdGhcIjpcIjU5OFwiLFwiaGVpZ2h0XCI6XCI0MDRcIixcImRlZmF1bHRcIjpcImh0dHBzOlxcXC9cXFwvd3d3LmJhbGxzLmllXFxcL2ltYWdlc1xcXC9icmFuZC1pbWFnZS5qcGdcIixcIm9wdGlvbnNcIjp7XCJvdXRwdXRcIjpcIndlYnBcIixcInF1YWxpdHlcIjo5OX19IiwiaGFzaCI6ImFhMTJmZjJlZTg5NWM2NWQ0NTcxM2Q4NGNlMmIwM2Q1NWYzMGQ3MDgifQ==/gallery-the-pope-turns-up-at-croke-park.jpg)
...while RTE gave it all The Sunday Game treatment
![pope francis at croke park](https://img.resized.co/balls_ie/eyJkYXRhIjoie1widXJsXCI6XCJodHRwczpcXFwvXFxcL21lZGlhLmJhbGxzLmllXFxcL3VwbG9hZHNcXFwvMjAxOFxcXC8wOFxcXC8yNjEyMDk1OVxcXC9DYXB0dXJlMzUucG5nXCIsXCJ3aWR0aFwiOlwiNjAwXCIsXCJoZWlnaHRcIjpcIjI2N1wiLFwiZGVmYXVsdFwiOlwiaHR0cHM6XFxcL1xcXC93d3cuYmFsbHMuaWVcXFwvaW1hZ2VzXFxcL2JyYW5kLWltYWdlLmpwZ1wiLFwib3B0aW9uc1wiOntcIm91dHB1dFwiOlwid2VicFwiLFwicXVhbGl0eVwiOjk5fX0iLCJoYXNoIjoiZGJkZThhMjAyMjdjZjUyNzRmYjRjMjU2MTVlMjU2ZTQzYjg5ZjhhZCJ9/gallery-the-pope-turns-up-at-croke-park.png)