Pope Francis has begged forgiveness for clerical child sex abuse
He made the comments during a visit to Knock Shrine in County Mayo
The Pope later celebrated Mass in front of huge crowds at Dublin's Phoenix Park
He spent two days in the Republic of Ireland
On Saturday, the pontiff expressed shame at the Church's failings on abuse
He also met eight Irish abuse survivors
It was the first papal visit to Ireland since Pope John Paul II's trip in 1979
Here's an up-close look at the words Pope Francis left in the Áras an Uachtaráin guest book.
He wrote of his "gratitude for the warm welcome" and that he assured the "people of Ireland of my prayers that almighty God may guide and protect you all".
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After a private meeting with the Irish president, the Pope is due to return outside and plant a tree near the front entrance of the presidential residence.
Afterwards, he's due to head off to Dublin Castle.
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Some very famous and respected names have signed the visitors' book in Ireland's presidential residence, but Pope Francis' will be right in the top tier.
After meeting people at the steps of the presidential residence, Pope Francis steps inside with President Higgins and his wife Sabina.
Papal visit: Pope Francis arrives at Dublin airport
There was little fanfare as the Pope stepped off Shepherd One for Ireland's first papal visit in 40 years.
President Michael D Higgins and his wife, Sabina, greet Pope Francis at Áras an Uachtaráin, the official residence of the Irish president.
Ireland has undergone significant social chance since the last time a pope visited in 1979 - in this video, we track how the country has altered since Pope John Paul II's visit and Pope Francis' arrival in Ireland this weekend.
There'll be three special programmes on BBC Newsline this weekend about the Pope's visit.
BBC Newsline will be live from Dublin on Saturday at noon and 19:20 on BBC2. On Sunday, turn over to BBC One at 22:30.
Leanna Byrne
BBC News NI
While some might have expected some waves or a kneel and kiss of the ground - like Pope John Paul II in 1979 - there was nothing but smiles and handshakes from Pope Francis.
Very quickly, he stepped into his Skoda car, with its SCV1 licence plate, to be taken to meet President Michael D Higgins.
Having done our due diligence, we can confirm this post purporting to be from Pope Francis' official Instagram account is fake but, still, a great effort.
Image source, InstagramA live scene from Áras an Uachtaráin, the Pope's next destination, where he will meet the Irish president.
A suitably green looking shot of the Irish countryside between the airport and Dublin city, as the Pope and his entourage head into Dublin.
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In recent years, Ireland has voted on major changes that has moved it away from the Church - in 2015, the country voted to legalise same-sex marriage and earlier this year it voted to legalise abortion.
Meanwhile, in other parts of Dublin people are protesting against the visit. The Catholic Church has been criticised over its handling of clerical child sex abuse allegations, and its treatment of unmarried mothers and their babies.
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And without too much hanging about, the Pope is off.
Pope Francis is now on his way to the presidential residence, Áras an Uachtaráin, in Dublin's Phoenix Park where he will meet President Michael D Higgins.
Next, the Pope meets Jane Boland who, as we mentioned earlier, won a nationwide competition to designed vestments for the pontiff.
It was smiles all round as she presented him with her self-designed papal garments.
The first people to meet Pope Francis are the daughters of Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney, one of which presents the pontiff with flowers.
