Johannesburg, 10 June, 2023 / 9:45 pm (ACI Africa).
Members of the Southern African Catholic Bishops' Conference (SACBC) are seeking spiritual solidarity ahead of their Ad Limina visit, the periodic visit to the Holy See during which Catholic Bishops have an audience with the Holy Father and an opportunity to pray at the tombs of St. Peter and St. Paul.
In a report shared with ACI Africa Friday, June 9, the President of SACBC says the June 12-17 Ad Limina visit is a symbol of the unity between Catholic Bishops and the Pontiff.
“I invite all those who will be remaining behind to pray for us because this is not just about us, it’s about the church in Southern Africa,” Bishop Sithembele Sipuka of South Africa’s Mthatha Diocese says.
Bishop Sipuka adds that members of SACBC participating in the Ad Limina visit “will be reporting on behalf of every Catholic."
The quinquennial report that SACBC members are to share with Pope Francis will include social, political, and economic updates and statistics, evangelization challenges, the liturgical and sacramental life of the Church, Catholic education, the financial state of the Dioceses, among others, he says.
