Ask a Canon Lawyer
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What Is
Ad Limina?
�n January, Bishop Quinn—along with the other bishops of our region, i.e. the eccle-
siastical province of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis—visited Rome for an ad limina visit. But what is an ad limina visit all about? A Definition
In the 1983 Code of Canon Law, canon 399 §1 tells us that:
Every five years a diocesan bishop is bound to make a report to the Supreme Pontiff on the state of the diocese entrusted to him, according to the form and time determined by the Apostolic See.
This report is called a quinquennial report, a word that literally means “every five years” (although, practically speaking, these days quinquennial reports are generally required only once every seven years). The quinquennial report includes statistics, or the number of things like parishes, schools, priests, religious, and Catholic faithful in the diocese; it also includes the bishop’s observations or concerns for his diocese. Canon 400 then goes on to state that: …during the year in which he is bound to submit a report to the Supreme Pontiff, a diocesan bishop is to go to Rome to venerate the tombs of the Blessed Apostles Peter and Paul and to present himself to the Roman Pontiff.
In a nutshell, this sums up the two-fold purpose of the ad limina visit. This same canon specifies that: “A bishop is to satisfy the above-mentioned obligation personally unless he is legitimately impeded”—i.e., that unless the bishop has a serious reason not to go, he must actually travel to Rome himself. This detail in the law is interesting, because it shows us that the ad limina visit is not just another routine administrative task involved in running a diocese, but it is instead part of the vocation of being a bishop. “To the Thresholds…”
Ad limina is short for the Latin phrase “ad limina Apostolorum,” which translates into English as “to the threshold (or maybe “doorsteps”) of the Apostles.”
February 2020 w The Courier w dowr.org
This highlights especially the spiritual significance of the ad limina visit—that is, namely, a chance for today’s bishops, the successors of the Apostles, to visit the place where the great Apostles St. Peter and St. Paul were martyred and to pray at the places where these saints are buried. As one document, the 1988 Directory for the “Ad Limina” Visit puts it:
Jenna Cooper
Tribunal Coordinator & Judge jcooper@dowr.org
So, What Actually Happens? The veneration of the ‘trophies’ [i.e., the tombs or monuments] of the Apostles Peter and Paul and The specific details of an ad limina visit itinerary are pilgrimages to their tombs have been practiced naturally going to vary a bit from bishop to bishop and from earliest Christian times. These practices have region to region. But in general, the obligation to venerate the tombs of the Apostles St. Peter and Paul retained their deep spiritual meaning and their is fulfilled by visiting the churches where significance for ecclesial communion. It these saints are understood to have been is precisely for this reason that these Do buried. you practices were institutionalized a q h u To venerate St. Peter, bishops a e for the bishops. ve cano stio n n on their ad limina visit typically you abou law t celebrate a Mass in a crypt chaw t h ould Meeting the Pope at to s pel—that is, a chapel a level e e l i ke here under the main floor—of the ? Em answere The other part of the ad limina d jcoo a famous St. Peter’s Basilica. St. visit, the in-person meeting p e r @ il Peter’s Basilica is significant not w with the Pope, might seem to dow ith r . only because we know with a o r be more utilitarian. Of course, g ques " C o u r high degree of certainty based ier it is useful for bishops to be tion" on archeological evidence that the able to discuss their concerns subj i n St. Peter is indeed buried almost with the Holy Father. And it’s e ct line. directly under the high altar of this helpful for the Holy Father as well church, but also because it is only to hear directly about the state of steps away from the spot where St. various local diocesan churches, espePeter was martyred on the Vatican hill. cially those local churches in parts of the To venerate St. Paul, the bishops pray at a world which are geographically quite a ways basilica called St. Paul Outside the Walls. This basilica away from Rome. is so-named because it is located outside of the origiHowever, even this meeting has a deeply nal ancient city walls (and is still a bit of a trip outside spiritual aspect. As the 1988 Directory of the central city even today.) It is believed to be the says: location of St. Paul’s tomb, and is home to some other The meeting with the Successor of Peter, meaningful relics, such as the actual chains which the primary guardian of the deposit of bound St. Paul as a prisoner. truth handed down from the Apostles, The specific way the bishops’ in-person meeting serves to consolidate their unity in the with the Pope will be conducted depends on the prefsame faith, hope and charity. erences of the current Holy Father. In the past, Popes would speak one-on-one with individual bishops in And so this meeting is not simply a a very brief private meeting. Now, it seems that Pope mutual fact-sharing session, but is also Francis prefers a group meeting with all the bishops a sign of unity and communion for the from a particular province who are traveling together, entire Church. Our local bishop’s meetso that there is time for a more in-depth and substaning personally with the Holy Father tial discussion. shows us that even here in our quiet The bishops also have a chance to visit and talk corner of Minnesota, we’re still with officials from various Dicasteries of the Roman very much a part of the larger Curia, or “Vatican departments.” spiritual family which is All in all, as the 1988 Directory puts it: the universal Catholic ...the ‘ad limina’ visit is an action that each bishop Church. performs for the good of his own diocese and for the whole Church, in order to foster unity, charity and solidarity in the faith and in the apostolate.
