THE Catholic hierarchy is inviting Pope John Paul to return to Ireland to coincide with the 25th anniversary of his first historic visit.
The decision was made in principle at a meeting of the Bishops' Conference in Maynooth last week.
The Pope's decision to make the trip will hinge on the state of his health and could also depend on whether the British government allows him to visit the North.
When John Paul came here in 1979 he was unable to satisfy his wish to celebrate Mass in the historic diocese of Armagh because of the political and security situation at the time.
It is understood that any visit would not be on as large a scale as the last time because of the Pope's health and because the hierarchy does not want to invite a comparison between the Church today and 25 years ago.
Any visit would have to be given the green light by the Government which would have to mount a huge security operation to ensure that there were no terrorist or other attacks on the Pontiff.
The Pope was victim of an attempted assassination in 1981 and has more recently been the subject of several security alerts inside Italy where authorities fear attack by al Qaida operatives.
The Irish bishops have already announced a series of celebrations to mark the 25th anniversary of the Pope's visit here, culminating in a national day of celebration on September 19 that will centre on Clonmacnoise, the ancient site of a monastic settlement in Co Offaly.
A visit sub-committee comprises Bishops John Magee, Michael Smith and Colm O'Reilly. Bishop Magee, who served for a time as the Pope's private secretary, has long been a supporter of inviting the Pontiff back to Ireland. However, the suggestion has until now met with considerable scepticism from some members of the hierarchy who doubted whether the 'climate' was right for a papal visit, particularly given the scandals that have engulfed the Church in recent years.
A big question mark over whether the Pope will be able to come here is the deteriorating state of his health. The Pontiff is 84 and suffers from what is believed to be Parkinson's disease which has severely limited his mobility and has badly affected his speech.