PICS: Paddy Power erect giant drive-thru confession box in Dublin ahead of Pope’s visit

“Bless us father, for we have sinned… it’s been DECADES since our last confession.”

Irish bookmakers Paddy Power have erected a massive drive-thru confession box in Dublin just days before Pope Francis is due to visit the country this weekend. The confession box, which stands 12 metres high, 13 metres wide and 26 metres deep, has been erected on Conyngham Road in Dublin 8, in the shadow of the Phoenix Park, where up to 500,000 people are expected to attend the first Papal visit to Ireland since Pope John Paul II stopped by in 1979. Paddy Power say that the sheer structure of the confession box “will be big enough to withstand the full spectrum of sin, providing an express lane to eternal salvation for Ireland’s lapsed Catholics”. The structure was built on the back of a specially commissioned survey which revealed that more than a quarter of Irish people haven’t attended confession in a decade or more. Almost 80% of those surveyed said they do not go to confession regularly (once a month) and a further 29% disclosed that it was so long ago, they can’t remember when they last confessed. When asked if they found it convenient to attend confession, meanwhile, the majority of respondents (61%) said no and a further 15% said it could be improved. Commenting on the structure, a Paddy Power spokesperson said: "Ireland has changed a lot since the last Pope's visit - gay marriage is legal, we’ve repealed the Eighth Amendment, and even secretly cheered for England in the World Cup. “With decades worth of sins clocked up since then, we’re providing a convenient means to complete your contrition with your keys still in the ignition.” “And if the Catholic hierarchy have anything they’d like to get off their chests too, they are more than welcome to take a spin through our mega drive-thru confession box while they’re here.” Pope Francis arrives in Ireland on Saturday morning before departing the following evening; check out the full schedule for his visit here. All the relevant train timetable information you need, meanwhile, is right here.