Bishop Robert J, Carlson is in Rome for his scheduled ad limina visit with Pope John Paul II.
Every bishop is required to go in person to report to the Holy Father about the state of his diocese every five years.
It has actually been six years since Bishop Carlson made his first ad limina visit to Rome as leader of the Diocese of Sioux Falls. The Vatican delayed all ad limina visits in 2000 because of the “Holy Year” declared by the pope.
Bishop Carlson had accompanied St. Paul Archbishop John Roach during the archbishop’s ad limina visits in 1988 and 1993 when Bishop Carlson was auxiliary bishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis.
“The term ‘ad limina’ comes from the Latin and means ‘to the threshold of the apostles,” Bishop Carlson said.
The Church teaches that our bishop is one of the successors to the apostles and as part of his earlier ad limina visit, Bishop Carlson was privileged to pray at the tombs of Apostles Peter and Paul in Rome.
A bishop’s ad limina visit usually includes a 15 minute private meeting with Pope John Paul II to recap the state of the diocese and where it has been, where it is and what direction it is heading.
The ad limina visits are usually scheduled by the Vatican by province, meaning Bishop Carlson will be in Rome with the other bishops that make up the St. Paul Province (the bishops of Minnesota, South Dakota and North Dakota).
In the past, the bishops of the Province have lunch one day with the Holy Father. “During this luncheon, there is a great deal of conversation and exchange about the faith life of our province,” the bishop said.
The bishops of the province also, in the past, have gathered one morning during the visit to concelebrate Mass with the pope in his private chapel.
Before leaving for Rome, the bishop submitted a report to the Vatican addressing issues such as the ministry of the bishop, the diocese’s liturgical life, Catholic education, catechesis, the ministry of the clergy and the work of the sisters and brothers in the diocese.
The bishop also reported on the work of the laity in the diocese, ecumenism, pastoral care of the family, evangelization and social justice among other topics.
In the final part of his report, of nearly 100 pages, the bishop outlines his expectations of the future of the diocese.
Bishop Carlson is due back home from ad limina visit on December 15.