Ad limina visit
An ad limina visit is a canonical obligation of the Roman Catholic bishops to visit the Pope personally, usually every five years, and to give a report on the state of the respective diocese . The term is derived from visitatio ad limina apostolorum : “Visit to the doorsteps (of the churches of the grave) of the apostles ( Peter and Paul )”.
regulation
The ad limina visit is regulated by canons 399 and 400 of the Codex Iuris Canonici (CIC) and Canon 208 of the Codex Canonum Ecclesiarum Orientalium (CCEO).
history
These obligatory journeys of the bishops to Rome are attested as early as the 4th century.
Since the 12th century, these visits have been increasingly regulated. First the heads of the church provinces, the metropolitans or archbishops, were obliged, but later all bishops.
In 1585 Pope Sixtus V published the Apostolic Constitution Romanus Pontifex , which stipulates the content of the visit: visit and veneration of the apostles' graves, meeting with the Pope and report on the state of the respective diocese.
Current process
Today the report must be sent in writing to Rome six to three months before the visit at the latest, so that the Curia has the opportunity to prepare an appropriate exchange and speeches.
During the visit, the bishops also hold talks in the various dicasteries of the Vatican .
On average, around 500 bishops come to Rome every year for ad limina visits, and it is not uncommon for several bishops from one region to come together.
Due to various circumstances, the interval between ad limina visits can also increase or decrease.
meaning
Along with synods and councils, ad limina visits are among the instruments of unity of the Church. The symbolic and symbolic element is just as important as the exchange of information and the broadening of perspective on a world level.
Ad limina visits by the German-speaking bishops
From November 8th to 20th, 1999 the German bishops were in Rome in three groups, and in two groups from November 6th to 18th, 2006: then one week in November 2015.
Austria's bishops were in Rome in January 2014, the Swiss bishops in early February 2005 and most recently in December 2014.
literature
- Directory for the “Ad Limina” visit, Vatican City 1988
Individual evidence
- ^ Srf.ch - St. Gallen Commander of the Swiss Guard dismissed . Article dated December 3, 2014, accessed January 30, 2015.
- ↑ orf.at - Swiss Guard before the end? . Article dated January 30, 2015, accessed January 30, 2015.