ROME— Bishop Robert Gruss met with Pope Francis while at the Vatican this week along with fellow bishops from Michigan and Ohio. The following is an excerpt of Bishop Gruss’ inspiring account of his meeting with Pope Francis:
As I sat there listening to our Holy Father, I was moved by being in his presence. But more importantly, I was inspired by his honesty and candor to many questions raised from the bishops - questions about the sex abuse scandal, the recent Amazon Synod, the sexual morality issues we face in society, the media presentation of his public comments, women in the Church, the great importance of the New Evangelization for the Church today, among many other things. There was no topic that could not have been discussed if it had been raised.
Pope Francis spoke with honesty and great clarity about these things. For me, I sensed that with the Holy Father, there was a sense of deep unity and care for us, and that he was very appreciative of our ministry.
He acknowledged the suffering which priests experience today in the midst of their ministry and he encouraged us bishops not to be afraid to suffer for the Church – that we are not alone.
At the closing of our meeting, Pope Francis asked us to pray for him and for the Church. I felt privileged and blessed to have had the opportunity for this experience to be with our Holy Father in such an intimate setting. This is something that I will remember for some time. Please pray for Pope Francis, and your own bishop!
Bishop Gruss traveled to Rome for an “ad limina” visit. He is there to report on the status of our diocese, meet with Pope Francis, as well as leaders of various Vatican departments, and make a pilgrimage to the tombs of St. Peter and St. Paul.
An important part of the ad limina visit is the celebration of the Holy Eucharist at all four major basilicas in Rome: St. Peter’s, St. John Lateran, St. Mary Major, and St. Paul’s Basilica Outside the Walls.
Read Bishop Gruss’ entire reflection from Tuesday, Dec. 10, below:
What a blessing today as the Bishops of Michigan and Ohio (Region 6) began the second day of our Ad limina with a Mass at the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran, also known as the Cathedral of Rome. An important part of the Ad limina visit is the celebration of the Holy Eucharist at all four major basilicas in Rome. They include St. Peter’s, St. John Lateran, St. Mary Major and St. Paul’s Basilica Outside the Walls.
For the bishops the Ad limina visit serves as a pilgrimage to “the threshold of the apostles,” giving the bishops, who are the successors of the apostles, the opportunity to pray at the tomb of St. Peter and St. Paul. The Ad limina is meant to strengthen the bishops’ faith and their bond with the pope and to report on the status of their dioceses.
Monday we began the day with a beautiful Mass at the tomb of St. Peter. After seeking St. Peter’s intercession for our ministry, the rest of the day was spent in meetings at various Vatican dicasteries – Offices of the Holy See. In the morning I met with officials from the Congregation for Bishops and the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith in the morning and the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity and the Secretariat for Communications in the afternoon. Bishops choose which dicasteries they would like to visit. The time with these officials gives the bishops an opportunity to share what is taking place in their dioceses regarding the work pertaining to each dicastery as well as asking questions about specific issues that are a part of the work of the dicastery.
The most important aspect of the Ad Limina is the meeting with the Holy Father in which the purpose has been to allow every diocesan bishop to provide an update on the state of one’s diocese. The format of this meeting changes according to the pope who is in office at the time of the visit.
Following the Mass at the Basilica of St. John Lateran, later in the morning, we, the Bishops of Region 6, had our visit with the Holy Father, Pope Francis. I must thank the Pope Francis for his generosity in giving two hours and fifteen minutes of his time to be with us and share in a relaxed and intimate conversation with him. It was a moment of shared Episcopal fraternity as we spoke about many topics raised from questions or comments by the bishops.
Pope Francis greeted us individually as we entered into the hall, bishops, priests and seminarians. During the individual greeting, the Vatican photographer was nearby snapping photos in rapid succession. At the conclusion, the priests and seminarians were asked to leave. The meeting with the Holy Father was reserved for the bishops only. We sat in a semi-circle, Pope Francis sitting in the middle with an interpreter. He spoke in Italian, the bishops in English.
As I sat there listening to our Holy Father, I was moved by being in his presence. But more importantly, I was inspired by his honesty and candor to many questions raised from the bishops – questions about the sex abuse scandal, the recent Amazon Synod, the sexual morality issues we face in society, the media presentation of his public comments, women in the Church, the great importance of the New Evangelization for the Church today, among many other things. There was no topic that could not have been discussed if it had been raised.
Pope Francis spoke with honesty and great clarity about these things. For me, I sensed that with the Holy Father, there was a sense of deep unity and care for us, and that he was very appreciative of our ministry. He acknowledged the suffering which priests experience today in the midst of their ministry and he encouraged us bishops not to be afraid to suffer for the Church – that we are not alone.
At the closing of our meeting, Pope Francis asked us to pray for him and for the Church. I felt privileged and blessed to have had the opportunity for this experience to be with our Holy Father in such an intimate setting. This is something that I will remember for some time. Please pray for Pope Francis, and your own bishop!
Listen to Homilies/Presentations and more by Bishop Gruss