New Pope Leo XIV has already visited Ireland and he could return as pontiff

Newly elected Pope Leo XIV has already visited Ireland on a number of occasions, having been in Tipperary for a special religious celebration 20 years ago.

While serving as Prior General of the Order of Saint Augustine, Robert Prevost, who was revealed to the world on Thursday as Pope Leo XIV, visited Fethard in Co Tipperary for a special commemoration of his order. He also visited Cork in 2007, as well as Limerick.

The Abbey in Fethard was marking 700 years at the time in 2005 and Fr Prevost was among the visitors to the town. 

Publican Jasper McCarthy from McCarthy's of Fethard took to Facebook to share the news, posting: "This is something that I never thought I would say. I met the Pope. In McCarthy’s.

"He has visited Fethard on more than one occasion. He was the General of the Augustinian Order and he came to town for the celebration of 700 years of the Abbey in Fethard. Fr Gerry Horan was the head of the Order in Ireland at the time, and was based in Fethard, so Pope Leo was actually in Fethard two or three times.

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"And I remember being introduced to him by Fr Gerry when they were in for lunch one day. So when I heard that a former head of the Augustinian Order was made Pope today, I rang Fr Gerry to see if it was the same man. It was."

Tipperary priest Father Iggy O’Donovan  was among those commenting today on the new Pope having met him and known him as a student.

Fr O'Donovan told Newstalk: “I knew him in Rome in our student days and somehow I made my way to the back benches. He seems to have done a little better.”

Telling presenter Kieran Cuddihy that he new the new Pope Leo XIV as 'Bob Prevost,' he added: "He's certainly emphasising very much the message of Francis. He mentioned him several times there."

"He was from Chicago, a member of the Augustinian Order like myself. We were in Rome at the same time as students, and he spent much of his time in Latin America, in Peru. He also became the Prior General of the Augustinian Order for eight years, for 12 years he held that post," he said.

He described him as "a highly intelligent man, a polyglot," adding, "you’ll notice he is speaking in Spanish now, English is obviously his first language but he has perfection in Italian I notice.

"The Pope has been around. A good guy and middle of the road, I would say very much middle of the road.”

Another Irish friend of his reckons he will return to Ireland as Pope. Fr Tony Finn, says that the new Pope loved his time in Ireland, adding, "he will come to Ireland, I know that he will come to Ireland at the first opportunity. I'd say less [than five years].

“I don't know when, but he'll certainly come. He will go to the US, to Africa, and Peru," he added.