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Ad Limina Apostolorum 4 PEOPLE of GOD february 2020 The Region XIII Quinquennial Visit “Ad Limina Apostolorum” the bishops will speak with When visiting the Holy See part of the whole and yet Pope Francis and with the for these canonically required a whole part. And all the various cardinals of the Curia visits, I am reminded of the “whole parts” come together to discuss matters relevant fact that the Archdiocese of to form the whole Roman to their dioceses and to the Santa Fe is a local Church Catholic Church. In short, the universal Church. These visits that is part of the universal Church is greater than the have a rich history, dating Roman Catholic Church. sum of its parts but the parts back to 1585 when Pope There is a healthy tension are not lacking in their true Sixtus V established norms here which is important to identity as Church. that are still followed today. keep in mind. All of the local As you might expect, As I mentioned above, we churches throughout the when the mystery of the bishops will meet with Pope world comprise and form the Church is looked at from Francis and then enter into entire Catholic Church with an administrative point of discussions with the various the pope as our universal view, tensions arise. Some departments, or dicasteries, pastor. At the same time, parts of our Catholic history of the Curia. These will the pope, as Bishop of have tended more toward a include the Secretary of Rome, while he enjoys the centralized Church where uring the second State, the Doctrine of the Petrine Office, is one with Rome plays a huge part in the full week of Faith, Clergy, Divine Worship, all the bishops of the world life of all the local Churches. February, I will join Education, Evangelization and with them forms the At other times, subsidiarity with the bishops and others. During our magisterium, i.e., the teaching has been emphasized as the of Region XIII for meetings, we will discuss a authority of the Church. Each Church has leaned toward our quinquennial D variety of issues including bishop is more than simply local synods and councils to visit ad limina apostolorum. immigration throughout the a department manager. meet the needs of specific This fancy title is world, polarization in the Rather, he is the shepherd regions in the world. This ecclesiastical shorthand for Church, the persecution of a local Church or diocese tension will always exist and the visit every residential of Christians in the Middle that is complete within itself. it should. We must never lose diocesan bishop makes East and Africa, the new Each diocesan bishop, as a sight of the importance of to Rome once every five evangelization, the ministry successor of the apostles, the chair of Peter. The Pope, years or so. Ad limina of lay ecclesial leaders, represents Christ who is an the Vicar of Christ on earth, apostolorum is Latin for vocations to the priesthood instrument of unity within that is a symbol of the Church’s “to the thresholds of the and the religious life, the local church. The people of unity for us. And, he exercises apostles.” Specifically, it impact and implementation God gather around one altar authority in the universal means that bishops from of Pope Francis’s Apostolic with their bishop, priests, church that has a direct all over the world come to Exhortations such as Amoris religious, and deacons form impact on all of our Churches. the thresholds of Saints Laetitia and Laudato Si’, the the body of Christ. As St. At the same time, he governs Peter and Paul which is a sexual abuse crisis, and a Ignatius of Antioch stated, in union with all the bishops, figurative way of saying host of other topics. These “Wherever the bishop shall that is, all the Churches they come to the Vatican visits ad limina provide an appear, there let the multitude of the world. He listens to to visit the pope and the opportunity for our Holy of the people also be; even them and works with them various departments that Father and his Curia to as wherever Jesus Christ is, in exercising his ministry make up what is called learn about the church there is the Catholic Church.” as “Servant of the Servants the Papal Curia, or the throughout the world and it (Letter to the Smyrnaeans, of God.” The administrative pope’s administrative gives the visiting bishops an Ch 8) In other words, where pendulum will always swing unit that assists him in opportunity to focus on issues the bishop is, there is the between centralization and governing the universal concerning the universal Church. You might say the subsidiarity, hopefully staying Church. During this visit, church. Archdiocese of Santa Fe is somewhere close to the february 2020 PEOPLE of GOD 5 middle. and our diversity. What a gift In all of this, we seek unity. it is to be the people of God. Jesus prayed fervently for The Dogmatic Constitution on unity in John’s Gospel. We the Church (Lumen Gentium) are called to be one with of the second Vatican Council Rome and one with our puts it well: local Church. St. Paul also At all times and in The Region XIII Quinquennial Visit “Ad Limina Apostolorum” emphasizes this theme of every race God has given unity in his writings, always welcome to whosoever convinced that the Church fears Him and does what of Christ must be one. In is right. God, however, his letter to the Corinthians does not make men holy His Mercy he writes, “I appeal to you, and save them merely brethren, by the name of our as individuals, without Lord Jesus Christ, that all of bond or link between you agree and that there be one another. Rather has no dissensions among you, it pleased Him to bring Endures Forever but that you be united in the men together as one same mind and the same people, a people which judgment. For it has been acknowledges Him in truth reported to me by Chloe’s and serves Him in holiness people that there is quarreling [...] Christ instituted this among you, my brethren. new covenant, the new What I mean is that each one testament, that is to say, in of you says, ‘I belong to Paul,’ His Blood, calling together or ‘I belong to Apollos,’ or ‘I a people made up of Jew belong to Peter,’ or ‘I belong and gentile, making them to Christ.’ Is Christ divided? one, not according to the Was Paul crucified for you? flesh but in the Spirit. Or were you baptized in the This was to be the new name of Paul?” (1 Cor 1:10- People of God. For those 13). Our ad limina visit will who believe in Christ, emphasize the unity we all who are reborn not from share with one another as we a perishable but from an come to visit our universal imperishable seed through pastor, Pope Francis. It is a the word of the living God, living expression of our desire not from the flesh but from to be one as Christ is one with water and the Holy Spirit, the Father and one in us. are finally established as Since the church is the “a chosen race, a royal Body of Christ, we rejoice priesthood, a holy nation, in our unity with diversity. a purchased people ... who As one Church comprised in times past were not a of many local churches, we people, but are now the project the face of Christ to people of God.(9) the world and we do so most effectively when we are one Sincerely yours in the Risen with each other, living in Lord, communion and charity. I will be joined by approximately 40 pilgrims on our visit to Rome this February. I ask you to pray for us as we travel to the Most Rev. John C. Wester, thresholds of Saints Peter and Archbishop of Santa Fe Paul to celebrate our unity .
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