ST Anne's Cathedral in Belfast "would be receptive" to hosting an ecumenical service with Pope Francis if requested, the Dean of Belfast has said.
The Very Reverend John Mann, Dean of St Anne's, said he "certainly hopes" that a Papal visit to Northern Ireland will go ahead in 2018.
If he visits the north, it is widely expected that the head of the Catholic Church will prioritise a trip to Armagh, Ireland's ecclesiastical capital, although there is strong speculation that he would include a journey to Belfast for both religious and political reasons.
Rev Mann told The Irish News that if the Catholic Church were to request an ecumenical service in St Anne's, the church would open its doors to the Pontiff as an opportunity to "further cement ecumenical relations".
Rev Mann told The Irish News: "I know how much this would mean to members of the Roman Catholic community and so, as my brothers and sisters in Christ, I would be very happy for them.
"A Christian leader of such standing and wisdom as Pope Francis will inevitably have something important to say to us all, whether of any Christian tradition, or of another faith, or of none.
"Thirdly, it would be an opportunity to further cement our ecumenical relations in Belfast and beyond.
"For this reason alone, were the Catholic Church to request an ecumenical service in St Anne's, with Pope Francis as speaker, I am sure that we would be receptive."
