Private meetings with pope shortened during 'ad limina' visits

Published: 2003-10-28

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The visits each bishop must make to the Vatican every five years continue to include a private meeting with Pope John Paul II, but the length and content of the meetings have been abbreviated. Archbishop Edmundo Abaya of Nueva Segovia was one of seven bishops from the Philippines who had private meetings Oct. 28 with the pope as part of their "ad limina" visits to the Vatican. The archbishop said that during his five minutes alone with Pope John Paul "He was OK, attentive and asked questions." Just a year ago, many bishops had 15 or 20 minutes alone with the pope during their "ad limina" visits. They would sit across a desk from Pope John Paul as he looked at the geographical boundaries of their dioceses in a special Vatican atlas and would ask about the people, their practice of the faith, their livelihoods and the diocesan vocations situation.

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