 Pope Francis visited Ireland on 25 and 26 August 2018, as part of the World Meeting of Families 2018.It was the first visit by a "reigning" pontiff to the country since 1979 (though Francis had spent time studying English in Dublin in 1980, as Fr Jorge Bergoglio).Irish dignitaries have visited the Holy See, including in 2007 the President of Ireland Mary McAleese, the Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern, and the Minister for Education and Science Mary Hanafin.