Archbishop Machado to lead Bishops of Karnataka for ‘Ad Limina’ visit to Rome
Bengaluru: Most Rev Dr Peter Machado, who is also the President of Karnataka Region Catholic Bishops’ Council (KRCBC), will be leaving for Rome to meet Pope Francis on the official ‘Ad Limina’ visit from September 11 to 19.
‘Ad Limina’ is a technical term implying an obligation on the part of all the members of Catholic Church hierarchy to visit “thresholds of the Apostles” Saints Peter and Paul and present themselves before the Pope, the Supreme Pontiff of the Catholic Church, to give an account of their respective Dioceses.
The object of the visit is not merely to make a pilgrimage to the tombs of the Apostles, but, above all, to show the proper reverence for the successor of St Peter, to acknowledge practically his universal jurisdiction by giving an account of the condition of particular churches, to receive his admonitions and counsels, and thus bind more closely the members of the Church to its Divinely appointed head.
The Bishops of the Karnataka Metropolitan Province, who will be part of the team led by the Archbishop of Bangalore, comprises: Most Rev T Anthony Swamy (Bishop of Chikmagalur), Most Rev K A William (Bishop of Mysore), Most Rev Henry D’Souza (Bishop of Bellary), Most Rev Derek Fernandes (Bishop of Belgaum), Most Rev Peter Paul Saldanha (Bishop of Mangalore), Most Rev Francis Serrao (Bishop of Shimoga), Most Rev Gerald Isaac Lobo (Bishop of Udupi) and Most Rev Robert Michael Miranda (Bishop of Gulbarga).
During the Ad Limina visit, all the Bishops of Karnataka, will convey to the Holy Father their filial love, respect and obedience, and request him to impart his apostolic blessings upon all of them and the people of Karnataka.
At the same time all Bishop’s pray for Karnataka at the tombs of Saints Peter and Paul and at the other Basilicas in Rome.