2012 Ad Limina Visit

The ad limina visit of Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron and the other bishops of the Archdiocese as well as the bishops of the other dioceses of Michigan and Ohio will be made February 1-6, 2012; the Archbishop is to report on the state of the Archdiocese to the Holy See.

The name of the visit comes from the Latin phrase ad limina apostolorum (to the thresholds of the Apostles), a reference to the pilgrimage to the tombs of Sts. Peter and Paul that the bishops are required to make as part of the visit giving an account of their dioceses.

The present discipline concerning visits ad limina is found in the Decree of the Consistorial Congregation, issued by Pius X in 1909.  This decree states that every bishop must render to the pope an account of the state of his diocese once every five years.  Though the tradition dates to 1585 with many bishops from the New World already having made visits to the Roman Pontiff, the modern period of Quinquennial visits began in 1911.  In 1915, the bishops of the United States of America made their first ad limina visits.

While the visits are to be made every five years, the last time a bishop from Detroit was in Rome for such a meeting was in May 2004 when Adam Cardinal Maida led the delegation.  It is difficult to maintain this five-year regimen since the number of diocese in the world has doubled over the last 50 years; the pope would have to meet about 600 bishops each year to put ad limina visits back on a five-year track, and Vatican officials have said that will not happen.

As a result, most ad limina visits are now made every seven or eight years.  As part of his meeting with the Pope, Archbishop Vigneron will present the Quinquennial Report, a 150 page document which details what has happened in the Archdiocese from 2004 through the end of 2010.  The report will be supplemented by over 50 exhibits, including other reports, policies and procedures, and plans for the future of the Archdiocese.