|
SAN ANTONIO • The three bishops of the archdiocese gave a positive follow-up report on their recent “ad limina” visit to the Vatican in an employee gathering in the chancery atrium June 8. This followed a pre “ad limina” discussion with chancery personnel which had taken place almost six weeks prior.
Archbishop Patrick F. Flores told archdiocesan employees that he was the principal celebrant and homilist at a Mass for Region X bishops held at the Tomb of St. Peter. Additional liturgies were celebrated at the North American Seminary and at St. Paul Outside the Walls. While in Rome, the bishops from Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas also visited with the U.S. ambassador and toured the University of Dallas Rome campus.
On a matter of great interest to most in San Antonio, the archbishop said he visited the Office of Bishops at the Vatican. Archbishop Flores said the office had received his retirement letter and that the pope had looked at it and approved it. However, he added that details are still waiting to be worked out.
“I was very impressed with his holiness,” said the archbishop of the visit. “He looked well and was in good spirits.”
Auxiliary Bishop Thomas Flanagan said it was a joyful occasion to see the Holy Father doing so well. He recalled, “The pope was very alert and open to what we had to say to him.”
Bishop Flanagan said he shared with the pontiff about the work of the charismatics in the archdiocese, Life in the Spirit seminars, the diaconate program and ACTS.
“I find the visits to the dicasteries to be an affirmation of the local church,” he
said. “They are uplifting and encouraging.”
Auxiliary Bishop Patrick Zurek added to that topic, saying there was a lot of dialogue with the dicasteries on subjects such as the Synod, worship and ACTS.
The bishop thought it significant that in the Holy Father’s address to the Region X group he stressed the importance of doing away with factions that have popped up in the church.
In one area, concerning that of Catholics in political life, Bishop Zurek said that the head of a dicastery, in response to a specific question from Bishop Joseph Fiorenza of the Diocese of Galveston-Houston, emphasized that the Eucharist was not to be used as a weapon, in reference to some bishops who have said they would refuse Communion to certain politicians.
Regarding a discussion with leaders of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, Bishop Zurek was informed that liturgical dance was an activity for diocesan liturgical commissions to discuss, with final disposition ultimately coming from the local bishop himself.
Meetings with personnel from the Secretariat of State concerned internal issues and foreign affairs and touched on secularization, the situation in the Middle East, and developing dialogue on common projects with Jews and non-Catholic Christians, according to the bishop.
Lastly, Bishop Zurek said the prelates were told they should be close to their priests because of the difficult burdens they have to carry.
“The Congregation for Clergy could not be more proud of the priests in the United States of America,” he said. “We need to be proud of our holy, self-sacrificing priests.” |