A particularly full day
today, and wonderfully enriching.
We began with a celebration
of the Divine Liturgy, presided by our Ukrainian brother Bishops, who are part
of our regional episcopal assembly. Gathered at St. Peter’s Basilica, we
offered the liturgy at the altar of St. Basil, where the mortal remains of St.
Josaphat have been placed for public veneration. Ukrainian seminarians studying
in Rome, together with the Vice-Rector of the seminary, joined us and led us in
their beautiful singing of the liturgy. St. Josaphat was martyred for the faith
in the 1600’s, in particular for his determined and courageous promotion of
unity between Eastern Rite Churches and the See of Rome. Fidelity to Christ
involves sacrifice, unavoidably; such sacrifice may also extend to the offering
of one’s own life. I’m sure there were many prayers ascending from our hearts
during the liturgy for Christians who, even today, are being martyred for their
faith.
Throughout the day, we
visited four Vatican dicasteries, where discussion was held of topics relevant
to the competency of each. In the morning, we began with the Congregation for
Bishops, where we discussed various dimensions of the episcopal ministry. It
was a special delight for us to meet with the prefect (head) of that
department, our Canadian brother Cardinal Marc Ouellet, who shared with us
memories of the ministry he exercised in Western Canada, especially as rector
of St. Joseph’s seminary in Edmonton. This gathering was followed by a session
at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, where we brought to them our
assessment of the theological and philosophical issues that impact our current
life of faith, and heard from Cardinal Mueller and his collaborators their own
insights and questions about the situation of the Church in our country.
The afternoon and evening was
entirely taken up by visits to three dicasteries. At the first, the new
Secretariat for Communications, we learned of the exciting work that is being
undertaken to integrate the various communications vehicles of the Holy See and
their future plans. We were very impressed and encouraged by their vision and
competence, and now look forward to discovering ways in which our own diocesan
communications departments and networks can collaborate with this Secretariat.
Then we visited the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New
Evangelization, where the officials shared with us the various positive
initiatives they have undertaken for an effective and attractive announcement
of the Gospel. At that same department, which was responsible for organizing
the recent Jubilee of Mercy, we spent a fair amount of time sharing with them
our own many positive experiences of the way the Year of Mercy was received and
celebrated in our respective dioceses. It was clear to all of us that this
particular moment in the history of the Church was a special moment of grace
for the People of God.
Finally, we returned to the
Apostolic Palace, where yesterday we had met with the Holy Father. On this
occasion, we visited with Archbishop Paul Gallagher, who is the Vatican’s
Secretary for Relations with States (Foreign Minister). With him we discussed a
number of issues that, while experienced globally, also impact our local lives:
e.g. freedom of conscience and religion, human trafficking, refugees, and the
persecution of Christians.
At the end of this last
session, we arranged to go out on a small terrace overlooking St. Peter’s
Square and looking almost directly down upon the façade of St. Peter’s
Basilica. The view of the Square, Rome and the distant mountain ranges was
stunning. We then were led on a visit to a special private chapel of the Holy
Father within the Palace. Named the Redemptoris Mater (Mother of the Redeemer)
chapel, it is entirely decorated with the mosaics of the celebrated artist Fr.
Marko Rupnik. The beauty of this sacred space takes one’s breath away. The
images give expression to the whole of salvation history, centered upon and
fulfilled by Jesus Christ. One could take a whole week simply to meditate upon
this artistic treasure, but we were certainly grateful for the few minutes we
were able to spend there.
Our reception here in every
department is warm and fraternal; a real experience of the communion of the
Church. I’m looking forward to the blessings that yet await us.
Read the Ad Limina Blog series here.
Part 5: http://archbishopsmith.blogspot.ca/2017/03/ad-limina-final-part-5.html
Part 4: http://archbishopsmith.blogspot.ca/2017/03/ad-limina-2017-part-4.html
Part 3: http://archbishopsmith.blogspot.ca/2017/03/ad-limina-2017-part-3.html
Part 2 (this post): http://archbishopsmith.blogspot.ca/2017/03/ad-limina-2017-part-2.html
Part 1: http://archbishopsmith.blogspot.ca/2017/03/ad-limina-2017.html
Part 4: http://archbishopsmith.blogspot.ca/2017/03/ad-limina-2017-part-4.html
Part 3: http://archbishopsmith.blogspot.ca/2017/03/ad-limina-2017-part-3.html
Part 2 (this post): http://archbishopsmith.blogspot.ca/2017/03/ad-limina-2017-part-2.html
Part 1: http://archbishopsmith.blogspot.ca/2017/03/ad-limina-2017.html
