Mindanao Bishops visit Pope in Rome

Ad Limina Apostolorum visit for Mindanao bishops in Vatican, Rome set

Bishops from Mindanao have the opportunity to meet the Pope this June for their Ad Limina Apostolorum visit in Rome.

Bishops from Luzon and Visayas already had their visit last month as the prelates from the whole Philippines were divided in three groups.

For Mindanao bishops, their visit is from June 2 to 8.

The Ad Limina visit is an obligatory visit of the bishops to Rome which happens every five years to give the bishops their reports on the state of their dioceses or prelatures under their care.

It is an opportunity for the bishops to meet the different offices or dicasteries in the Vatican and make pilgrimages to major basilicas in Rome.

It is also an opportunity to venerate the tombs of the Holy Apostles—St. Peter and St. Paul, since bishops are successors of the apostles, with St. Peter as the head and hailed as the first pope of the Church.

In his article for DCHerald, Bishop of Mati Abel Apigo said Mindanao bishops look forward to this visit.

“Many of them were appointed recently by Pope Francis himself, hence, this is their first Ad Limina visit,” Bishop Apigo said.

The last Ad Limina visit of the Philippine bishops was in February 2011 during the pontificate of Pope Benedict XVI.