By Gretchen Keiser

U.S. bishops making their five-year “ad limina” visits to Rome are coming away with “tremendous enthusiasm” for Pope John Paul II’s “personal warmth and for his ability to lead” the church, according to Archbishop Thomas A. Donnellan.

The archbishop, who visited the pope in early September to report on the state of the diocese, described in an interview some of the aspects of that visit — which included a 15-minute private meeting with the pope, a formal discourse from the pope to a group of bishops and a highly animated small luncheon with the pope and other U.S. bishops.

While the five-year visits are required, each pope sets up a different format for them. Pope John Paul II is establishing a highly personal quality. Archbishop Donnellan said, by providing time for each bishop to meet with him alone and also by setting up the small luncheons where he encouraged and sparked animated discussion about the Church, different topics and problems and listened to what the different bishops had to say.

Particularly in the way the luncheon was held, the pope is “setting up a relationship between the bishops of the church and the pope … that gives us a sense of collegiality with him,” Archbishop Donnellan said.

The other dominant aspect of the “ad limina” visit was the way that the pope has been addressing certain themes to the U.S. bishops in the formal discourses he has been giving to different groups.

In the course of one week, the pope talked about the responsibilities of bishops and in so doing addressed a number of controversial topics, including women’s role in the church, celibacy in the priesthood, the sanctity of marriage, church teachings on sexuality and the essential role of the priest in celebrating the Eucharist.

The discourses emphatically reaffirmed church teaching in controversial areas and gave a clear sense of direction, leaving the bishops with a strong awareness of the pope’s leadership in addition to his encouraging personal and open exchange.

“He’s talking to us about our responsibilities, but in the course of it pointing out some strong sayings – ‘Here is what you’re expected to make clear’; ‘This is the Church teaching’; ‘You are a sign of contradiction’” Archbishop Donnellan said, adding, “That’s telling them!”

The archbishop’s meeting took place over five days in early September.

The private meetings with the pope were held at Castelgandolfo, his summer retreat, and the pope asked a number of questions about the diocese, including statistics about the numbers of priests, sisters, parishes, and schools, and about problems in the diocese, the state of vocations and the general state of the faith.

The pope had a map in front of him on which he located Georgia and Atlanta during the meeting.

The archbishop said that he told the pope that “on the whole the state of the church was good” and that “we had the usual problems of the church in the United States – a preoccupation with material things, family problems and problems with marriage.”

During the private meeting, the pope gave gifts to the archbishop and also, at the end, called in a photographer who took pictures of the two together. Later, looking at some of the photographs, the archbishop laughingly pointed out how his own gestures and attitude in the pictures show the uninhibited exchange that the pope draws out.

“You weren’t holding back saying, ‘This is the pope,’” he observed.

At the end of the same week, a group of 37 U.S. bishops were called together for the pope’s discourse and, later on the same day, about 15 had lunch with him.

The discourse spoke to the theme of the bishops “as a witness in the Church of a united priesthood,” the archbishop said. The talk emphasized the central role of the celebration of the Eucharist in proclaiming the nature of Catholic faith, in demonstrating the bishop’s oneness with his priests and in being strengthened and confirmed in the call to celibacy.

Pursuing this theme, the pope said that “the exclusion of priests from secular and political activity was more than ever necessary since as a general rule, the priestly ministry shall be a full-time occupation,” the archbishop said.

Similar concerns for the nature of the priesthood, for priests and for vocations emerged throughout the week, the archbishop said.

In the individual talks with U.S. Bishops, the pope urged them to “mobilize the people of God to pray and work for vocations,” the archbishop said.

During the small luncheon, the pope by his questions showed that he “really wanted to know what was the spirit of the priesthood in the United States,” and its spiritual needs, the archbishop said.

In the “very animated conversation,” the pope would compare the experience of one diocese with another and “make reference to one bishop of what another bishop has said to him.”

At the same time as he encouraged frankness, he also “furnished direction,” the archbishop said. Throughout the week, the bishops were called, in his discourses, and in conversation, to their vocation to be “a sign of the certainty of faith” to their people, to expect criticism and to accept it and even to be “a sign of contradiction” to those around them.

Overall, the pope characterized the U.S. bishops as being “very optimistic,” the archbishop said. “We’d see problems, but we’d also see great faith and great promise.”

After meeting with the pope, the bishops were elated, he said.

“We went in their optimistic, but after you’re exposed to him, you’re on cloud nine,” he said. “Who can doubt the Holy Spirit is right there with the Church.”