Rev. Fr. Michael BANJO

The first group of members of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Nigeria concluded their Ad Limina Apostolorum Visit on 7 March. Highlights of the group’s visit included prayer for Nigeria at the tombs of the Apostles Saints Peter and Paul as well as that of Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis, an audience with the Holy Father, and numerous meetings with various dicasteries of the Holy See.

 

These encounters provided an opportunity to reflect on the pastoral life and growth of the Church in Nigeria, as well as the Church’s contribution to the peace, development, and the common good of the nation. The visit concluded with a spiritual recollection facilitated by the congregation Opera della Chiesa (Work of the Church). It was truly an enriching and grace-filled experience.

As the first group of members of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria concludes its Ad Limina Apostolorum Visit, members of the second group have begun arriving in Rome on Sunday, 8 March, to commence their own segment of the visit. The second group comprises Bishops from the ecclesiastical provinces of Abuja, Calabar, Jos, and Kaduna.

 

Like the first group, the Bishops of the second group will participate in liturgical celebrations and meetings with the dicasteries of the Roman Curia. They will also have an audience with the Holy Father.

 

The Ad Limina Apostolorum Visit is the periodic visit that Diocesan Bishops make to Rome, ordinarily every five years. The Latin expression means “to the thresholds of the Apostles,” referring to prayer at the tombs of Saints Peter and Paul in St Peter’s Basilica and the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls, as well as in the other Major Papal Basilicas, the Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran and the Basilica of Saint Mary Major.

 

 

During the visit, the Bishops pray, renew their apostolic commitment, present a report on the pastoral life of their dioceses, and have an audience with the Holy Father. It is a profound expression of communion with the successor of Peter and with the universal Church.

 

We invite the faithful to continue to continue praying for the Bishops, that their Ad Limina Visit may bear abundant fruit for the Church and for our nation.

 

 

On Monday, 9 March, the Bishops celebrated Holy Mass, presided over by Most Rev. Joseph Ekuwem, Archbishop of Calabar, at the Basilica of St. John Lateran, the Cathedral of the Pope as Bishop of Rome. This sacred celebration marked the official commencement of the Ad Limina Apostolorum Visit of the second group of the Bishops of Nigeria to Rome. At the conclusion of the Mass, the Bishops gathered around the Cathedra (Seat of the Bishop of Rome), a symbolic gesture expressing their communion with the Holy Father and their unity with the See of Peter.

 

In the days ahead, the Bishops will meet with various dicasteries and ecclesial institutions of the Holy See, visit the major basilicas and other sacred sites, and engage in moments of prayer and reflection. The visit will culminate in a personal audience with the Holy Father, strengthening the bonds of communion between the local Churches in Nigeria and the universal Church.