Pope Francis has yet to decide if he will visit the north during his planned visit to Ireland next year.
The popular Pontiff is expected to attend at least two events linked to the World Meeting of Families, which will take place next August.
It has been expected that during the historic visit he will cross the border, perhaps visiting Armagh - the historical seat of the Catholic Church in Ireland.
Speaking at a Down and Connor Diocesan meeting in Belfast at the weekend Cardinal Kevin Farrell, who is co-ordinating the Pope’s visit, said he is expected to attend a Festival of Families event and a Mass to conclude the World Meeting of Families in Dublin.
However, on the issue of whether the Pope would travel north, the senior cleric said he did not think the matter has been discussed yet and explained that the Pontiff usually decides his schedule six months before he travels.
Many Irish Catholics were left bitterly disappointed when Pope John Paul II failed to travel north during his to visited Ireland in 1979 because of the political situation at the time.
