THE
P RTAL
November 2018
Page 18
The Ordinariate’s
first Ad Limina visit
A report by Mgr Keith Newton on the September visit
T he Apostolic
Constitution Anglicanorum coetibus, published by the Holy See in November
2009, set out the structures for an Ordinariate. Soon afterwards, an eminent Anglican ecclesiastical
lawyer commented that the fact that the Ordinary had to visit Rome every five years to report on the state
of the Ordinariate showed that the Ordinariates were not equal to other structures in the Catholic Church.
If he had read the 1983 Code of Canon Law, he would
have realised that the opposite is true. The Code states
(can. 399 §1): “Every five years the diocesan bishop
is bound submit to the Supreme Pontiff a report on
the state of the diocese entrusted to him, in the form
and at the time determined by the Apostolic See.” It
goes on to say (can. 400 §1): “In the year in which he
is bound to submit a report to the Supreme Pontiff,
the diocesan bishop is to go to Rome to venerate the
tombs of the Blessed Apostles Peter and Paul and to
present himself to the Roman Pontiff.” This is the Ad
Limina Apostolorum visit to Rome.
The previous Ad Limina visit of the members of the
Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales was in
2010, before the erection of the first Ordinariate of
Our Lady of Walsingham. As there has been a change
of papacy and because of the Year of Mercy, it was eight
years since the last Ad Limina visit. All the bishops of
England and Wales took part together with the bishop
of the Ukrainian Catholic Church and the Eparch of
the Syro-Malabar Church.
the Clergy. Other visits were optional and I chose
to visit the Congregation for Oriental Churches as I
have a particular interest in the parallels between the
Oriental Churches and the Ordinariate within the
Catholic Church. I also visited the Congregation for
the Causes of Saints and was delighted to hear the
progress of the cause for the canonisation of Blessed
John Henry Newman, who may be canonised in the
not too distant future.
Those who have been on previous Ad Liminas
commented on a change of attitude in the meetings
with the dicasteries. In the past, I am told, the prefect
or the secretary would speak for an hour with very
little interaction. On this occasion, there was, in most
cases, a greater opportunity to discuss matters and
The words Ad Limina Apostolorum mean “at the raise questions and concerns which are relevant to
threshold of the apostles.” At the centre of the visit was Catholic life here in the United Kingdom. One prefect,
the celebration Mass at the tombs of the Apostles Peter the person in charge of that particular dicastery,
and Paul, who are buried beneath the great basilicas remarked that in the past the bishops were often
which bear their names. As well as these liturgical frightened on such visits and now it is the other way
events, members of the Conference visited various round. Obviously this was said tongue in cheek, but it
dicasteries or departments of the Roman Curia.
did reflect an important change in approach.
There were also two members not in episcopal orders,
but with jurisdictions within the Catholic Church:
Abbot Hugh Allan, the Apostolic Administrator of the
Falkland Islands, and me, as Ordinary of the Personal
Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham.
All members had to visit certain dicasteries, including
the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the
Congregation for Divine Worship and Discipline of
the Sacraments, the Congregation for Education, the
Congregation for Bishops and the Congregation for
I was particularly pleased that the Ordinariate
was recognised and mentioned in several of our
visits. I expected that to be so at the Congregation
for the Doctrine of the Faith which has particular
responsibility for the three Ordinariates around the Ø