Archbishop Collins writes home from Rome

Collins says Western bishops have rare opportunity to compare notes

Pope Benedict and I "discussed the archdiocese, and the challenges and opportunities for evangelization in our modern world." Archbishop Thomas Collins

By ARCHBISHOP THOMAS COLLINS
Special to the WCR
Rome

The bishops of Western Canada are in Rome for their ad limina visit. This event is above all a pilgrimage "to the threshold" ("ad limina") of the apostles, and so we are scheduled to celebrate Mass together at the tombs of St. Peter and St. Paul, and at the basilicas of St. John Lateran (the cathedral of Rome) and St. Mary Major.

We are staying at a residence for priests who work in the Vatican. It is only a few blocks away from St. Peter's. In the mornings we visit two or three of the congregations or councils, which are the departments of the Holy See, each concerned with a particular area of the Christian life, for example, doctrine, liturgy, ecumenism, social justice, laity, religious, priests, bishops, evangelization. All together, in the two weeks of the visit, we will visit 19 departments.

Several months ago, each of the bishops submitted a written five year report on the developments in his diocese since the last ad limina visit. The chapters of the report roughly correspond to the themes covered by the various Vatican departments, and so the people here are well prepared for the visit of the bishops.

Because they receive reports from all over the world, and almost every day meet bishops from various countries, they are able to give us a sense of the situation in the universal Church.

That is one of the benefits of the ad limina visit: we get to see our Western Canadian issues and challenges within the perspective of the whole Church. We can so easily become enclosed on ourselves in our prosperous Canadian society.

Wider context

We need to find our true identity as Christians within a wider context: we are not "the Church of Edmonton" or "the Church of Canada." We are simply a small part of the great flock of the Good Shepherd, the Church, in Edmonton and Alberta and Canada.

Each visit to a department lasts a little over an hour. One of the bishops is assigned to introduce the topic, and then the cardinal or archbishop from the Vatican department speaks about their concerns and issues, and then a general discussion follows.

At the end of the day, back at the residence, we celebrate Mass together, and pray Evening Prayer together, and then have a meeting to discuss the day's events amongst ourselves, and to prepare for the next day.

One of the benefits of the ad limina is that it provides a useful occasion for the bishops to meet together to discuss common issues. We do not get many chances to do that.

Meeting with pope

Each of us has also had a private meeting with Pope Benedict. I had briefly seen him in the past, but this was the first time I had the opportunity to actually meet alone with him.

We discussed the archdiocese, and the challenges and opportunities for evangelization in our modern world.

I experienced what every bishop commented on after the private meeting: the holy father was most gracious and loving, with a deep understanding of the situation of the local churches. He was above all encouraging.

Pope brings us to Jesus

Having the opportunity to be with our holy father was a real grace in my life as a bishop, and as a Christian.

We are richly blessed in our pope, and above all in the ministry of Peter which Pope Benedict makes present among us, to draw us closer to Our Lord, whose vicar on earth he is, and to make us ever more conscious of the universal call to discipleship.

We pray for the pope every day at Mass, and we should thank God every day for the precious gift of the office of Peter which he fulfils.

After all of us had met him privately, we went to meet him as a group. He spoke to us of the parable of the prodigal son, and of the importance of God's mercy in the life of each disciple.

The sacrament of Reconciliation is an important means of experiencing that: "A new-found appreciation of the sacrament will confirm that time spent in the confessional draws good from evil, restores life from death, and reveals anew the merciful face of the Father."

Mission of all

Pope Benedict also spoke of the mission of us all: "Notwithstanding the increasingly secular climate in which you serve, your reports contain much from which you can draw encouragement.

"In particular, I have been heartened to note the zeal and generosity of your priests, the selfless dedication of the religious present in your dioceses and the increasing readiness among the laity to embolden their witness to Christ's truth and love in their homes, schools, places of work and in the public sphere."

Canadian bishops meet

There are some more meetings with departments of the Holy See, and then we all head back to Canada for the annual meeting of the Canadian bishops.

I will be back in Edmonton at the end of the month. Keep me in your prayers, as I am praying for you each day during this pilgrimage to the threshold of the apostles.

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