Last minute changes as the ad limina gets underway

There is a hierarchy of importance in many things, and the agenda of the Pope is no exception. This week the reforms of the Vatican bank and the next meeting of the Council of Cardinals take up much energy and time, and that has consequences for the ad limina visit of the Dutch bishops, due to start tomorrow.

The audience of the bishops with Pope Francis, originally scheduled for Thursday, has been moved forward to tomorrow morning (oddly enough at the same time as, per later reports, the Pope would be meeting with the Israeli prime minister… we’ll have to see how that turns out). That means that the high point of the visit, at least in the eyes of many on the outside, will take place right at the start. But of course that’s not the whole picture.

Bar three (Bishops Liesen, de Jong and van Burgsteden, who had prior engagements and will arrive in Rome later), all bishops began the ad limina visit with a Holy Mass at the Church of the Frisians, the Dutch home base in Rome. Cardinal Eijk, who was the main celebrant, did not discuss the ad limina in his homily. Instead, he spoke about Advent, which began today. And in the great scheme of things, Advent easily trumps any ad limina visit, of course.

The first coming of Christ, the cardinal said, was not that different from His second coming, likened to that as a thief in the night, as described in the Gospel reading of today (Matt. 24:37-44). “The first coming of Christ took place when He, the Son of God, became man. For centuries, the Jewish people had been looking forward to Him as the prophesied Messiah. But, when He was born as a man, no one was expecting it. And no one was there to welcome Him. Neither the Roman Emperor Augustus, nor his people’s elite was aware of the great event which was taking place in a lonely stable near Bethlehem. Some angels advertised Him, leading to a group of shepherds coming to visit and adore Him. And three Magi came from the East to adore Him as well. And that was, for the moment, that.”

Several bishops, among them Utrecht’s auxiliaries Herman Woorts and Theodorus Hoogenboom (pictured above), attended Pope Francis’ Angelus in St. Peter’s Square.

Another change in the schedule of the visit is the cancellation of all personal audiences of the bishops with the Pope. Originally, Pope Francis had considered these, in part because of the relatively small size of the bishops’ conference (13 members). But, pressing engagements on the Holy Father’s  part have necessitated the cancellation of these audiences. Earlier, Bishop Gerard de Korte of Groningen-Leeuwarden had said he was looking forward to meeting with Pope Francis: “I haven’t decided exactly what I am going to say. Anyway, I think it will be very interesting to meet him. There are amazing stories about this Pope. We have never met yet.”

The ad limina has also caused a small ripple effect in social media. The Diocese of Roermond has been sharing photos and stories on Facebook of what its two bishops, Ordinary Frans Wiertz (at right, being interviewed) and auxiliary Everard de Jong, have done and seen in Rome; the Diocese of Groningen-Leeuwarden has become active on Twitter; and Haarlem-Amsterdam’s auxiliary Bishop Jan Hendriks is blogging from Rome.

Photo credits: [1] [2] RKK – Christian van der Heijden, [3] Bisdom Roermond on Facebook

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Episcopal highlights of November 2013

10 November: Bishop Theodorus van Ruyven (pictured) retires as Vicar Apostolic of Nekemte. The Dutch-born bishop of the Congregation of the Mission first became prefect of the Apostolic Prefecture of Jimma-Bingo (since elevated to an Apostolic Vicariate) in Ethiopia in 1998. In 2009 he was appointed is Vicar Apostolic of Nekemte, and with that appointment came an ordination as bishop. His titular see is Utimma. Earlier this year he co-consecrated his eventual successor, Bishop Varghese Thottamkara, as Coadjutor Vicar Apostolic.

11 November: Domenico Cardinal Bartolucci passes away. The highly respected retired director of the Sistine Chapel choir passed away at the age of 96. Pope Benedict XVI made him a cardinal in 2010, because of the work he had done for liturgical music in a career that spans as far back as the late 1940s. In addition to conducting and leading various choirs, Cardinal Bartolucci was also a composer. His funeral Mass was offered by Cardinal Angelo Sodano, with Pope Francis offering the final commendation. The Mass may be viewed here. There are now 200 cardinals, with 109 of them being electors

19 November: Bishop Joseph Lescrauwaet passes away.

21 November: Bishop Rainer Klug (pictured) retires as Auxiliary Bishop of Freiburg im Breisgau, a function he held since 2000. His retirement was granted less than a month before his 75th birthday, and comes shortly after the retirement of Freiburg’s Archbishop Zollitsch. He was a member of the commissions for liturgical questions and for discernment and education in the German Bishops’s Conference.

28 November: Bishop Max Georg von Twickel passes away at the age of 87. He was auxiliary bishop of Münster and titular bishop of Lugura. Bishop Heinrich Timmerevers, an auxiliary of the same diocese, remembers him for his sharp analytical mind and his sense of humour. Bishop Felix Genn, the ordinary, also adds his memory competence and highly developed theological knowledge. Bishop Von Twickel had been a priest of Münster from 1952 to 1973, when he was appointed as auxiliary bishop, a function he held until his retirement in 2001.