
Pope's Ireland visit came at difficult time, says Varadkar
Pope Francis met former Taoiseach Leo Varadkar at Dublin Castle in 2018 as part of a two-day visit to the Republic of Ireland.
BBC News
Leo Eric Varadkar is an Irish former Fine Gael politician who served as Taoiseach from 2017 to 2020 and from 2022 to 2024, as Tánaiste from 2020 to 2022, and as leader of Fine Gael from 2017 to 2024. A TD for the Dublin West constituency from 2007 to 2024, he held a range of other ministerial positions during his time in government. Described as centre-right economically, he advocated free markets, lower taxes, and welfare reform. On social issues, he supported successful constitutional referendums to legalise same-sex marriage and to liberalise Ireland's abortion laws.
Pope Francis met former Taoiseach Leo Varadkar at Dublin Castle in 2018 as part of a two-day visit to the Republic of Ireland.