Popes Visit: The World Meeting of Families 2018 was the ninth World Meeting of Families and took place in Dublin, Ireland between 21 and 26 August 2018. The Meeting culminated in Pope Francis’s visit to Ireland where he visited Knock Shrine.

ICS Furniture’s proud involvement: The Papal chair designed for Pope Francis is purposefully understated and crafted using a combination of maple and walnut. The Papal crest adorns the back of the chair and the Knock shrine symbol is placed on the front.

Commenting on the design and what it symbolises, MD for ICS Furniture Gavin Duignan commented, “The brief for the chair was to create an understated modest family kitchen chair. My inspiration for the design was a traditional Irish three-legged stick chair which can often be seen in Ireland and Wales.

The central back panel in maple is shaped to represent Christ in life while the black walnut cross is significant in that he died for us. In this congress of families, the open arms are welcoming, forgiving and loving all in one. From the outset Pope Francis has been a humble man and I felt it important that the chair too would be understated”

The chair is currently on display in the museum in Knock along with the chair crafted for the Visit of Pope John Paul in 1979.

Image credits: Images courtesy of Knock Basilica &

POOL PIC, MAXWELLS ON BEHALF OF WMOF18