Filipino Bishops in Rome for the Ad Limina visit

Photo Credits: Vatican News

In the Roman Catholic Church, a quinquennial visit ad limina, more fully ad limina apostolorum or simply an ad limina visit, means the obligation of residential diocesan bishops and certain prelates with territorial jurisdiction, of visiting the thresholds of the Apostles, Saints Peter and Paul, and of meeting the pope to report on the state of their dioceses or prelatures.

It is a formal trip usually made together by all bishops from a single region or Catholic bishops’ conference to discuss with the Pope issues specific to their regions. It is separate from other trips a bishop might make to the Vatican, such as to attend a synod. The ad limina visit happens every five years, or quinquennially.

This year, the Filipino bishops will meet with Pope Francis and report the state of their dioceses when they make a pilgrimage to the Vatican later this year, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines said.

They are to undertake the “Ad Limina apostolorum” (to the threshold of the apostles) visit in the latter half of May and the first week of June, according to a report on the CBCP’s news website.

Aside from a personal meeting with Pope Francis, the bishops will also make a pilgrimage to major basilicas in Rome and encounter with various dicasteries of the Roman Curia during the visit, the report quoting CBCP secretary general Fr. Marvin Mejia said.

The schedule would allow the 3 groups--subdivided into Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao--to each have a week in Rome. The 7 bicolano bishops, headed by Archbishop Rolando Tria Tirona, OCD, will join the first group.

The May-June ad limina visit will be the first for the Filipino bishops under Pope Francis’ papacy. They made the last one in 2011 when they met with Pope Benedict XVI.