Fr. Ryan to meet the Holy Father at the Vatican

By Fr. Celso G. Magbanua Jr.


The Very Reverend Father Ryan P. Jimenez, Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Chalan Kanoa, is scheduled to leave for Rome, also known as the Eternal City, on December 5, 2011. The purpose of this trip is for Fr. Ryan to have an official meeting, known in the Catholic Church as ad limina visit, with the Holy Father, Benedict XVI, and the different offices of the Roman Curia at the Vatican. The Vatican is located in the city of Rome in Italy.
As an Apostolic Administrator, Fr. Ryan is now the Local Ordinary of the Diocese of Chalan Kanoa. He was appointed into the office on December 28, 2010 by Pope Benedict XVI after the untimely demise of the Very Rev. Fr. Manuel Corcuera on December 19, 2010.

A cherished tradition in the Church
The ad limina visit, a short term for quinquennial visit ad limina  apostolorum, is a tradition and practice in the Catholic Church wherein residential diocesan bishops and their equivalents (Local Ordinary, in Church parlance) pay a visit, at a stated time, to the thresholds of the Apostles, Saints Peter and Paul, and they present themselves before the Holy Father to give an account of the state of their dioceses. According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, The object of the visit is not merely to make a pilgrimage to the tombs of the apostles, but, above all, to show the proper reverence for the Successor of St. Peter [Pope], to acknowledge practically his universal jurisdiction by giving an account of the condition of particular churches, to receive his admonitions and counsels, and thus bind more closely the members of the Church to its Divinely appointed head.
The ad limina visit has a scriptural basis on the letter of St. Paul to the Galatians (1:18) wherein St Paul states, Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and abode with him fifteen days. It was Pope Pius X who made this practice obligatory to all Local Ordinaries on December 31, 1909 stating that a bishop needs to report to the Pope on account of the state of his diocese once every five years, starting in 1911.   This cherished tradition in the Church is now embedded in Code of Canon Law, the law of the Catholic Church, specifically numbers 399 and 400.

While in Washington, D.C.
According to Fr. Ryan, before proceeding to Rome, he will first go to Washington, D.C. to secure for himself an Italian Visa at the Italian Embassy there. Fr. Ryan is a Filipino citizen.  During the Clergy meeting on November 22, 2011 at the Kristo Rai Parish Rectory, Fr. Ryan divulged that while in the capital of the country, he would take the opportunity to meet with Dr. David J. Suley, the Director of the Home Missions of the United States Conference of the Catholic Bishops, to discuss with him the possibility of extending more financial grants to the Diocese of Chalan Kanoa. Dr. Suley and Bishop Michael A. Warfel, Diocesan Bishop of Great Falls-Billings in Montana, USA and Chairperson of the Home Missions, were on the island in February of last year. The Home Missions has been extending financial assistance to the Diocese since its inception.
Fr. Ryan is scheduled to leave Washington, D.C. on December 8, 2011 and will arrive the following day in Rome.

In Rome
In his letter, instructing him on what to do with this important event, Archbishop Charles Balvo, the Apostolic Delegate to the Pacific Islands, told Fr. Ryan, Since you are the Apostolic Administrator of Chalan Kanoa, a place has been reserved for you at the Casa Santa Marta in the Vatican, from December 10-20, 2011. The Casa Santa Marta (Domus Sanctae Marthae) is the same place where Cardinals around the world stayed during the last conclave in 2005. The conclave is a process of electing a new Pope. Meeting with the Holy Father will be anytime between December 1020, 2011. We were told that specific schedule with the Holy Father will be announced when we arrive in Rome, said Fr. Ryan when he was asked about his meeting with the Holy Father. I met the Holy Father when he was still Cardinal Ratzinger when I was in Theology. I look forward to meeting him now as the Supreme Pontiff, the successor of St. Peter, he added.
Fr. Ryan is with the other members of the CEPAC (Conferentia Episcopalis Pacifici) or the Conference of the Catholic Bishops of the Pacific which also includes the Archdiocese of Agana in Guam. While in Rome, they will have the opportunity to visit and have meetings with the heads of the the different dicasteries in the Roman Curia wherein they can discuss the concerns and needs of their respective dioceses. On this regard, Fr. Ryan said, I have been receiving a lot of reading materials in preparation for these meetings.  We have also been tasked to prepare specific questions/concerns ahead of time.  The Secretary of the Bishops Conference in the Pacific, Fr. John Crispin, warned us that there will be a lot of readings and meetings once we check in at the Casa Santa Marta.

Need for prayers
Fr. Ryan is asking for the prayers of the faithful of the Diocese for his trip. He said, Please pray for me as I represent the Diocese of Chalan Kanoa for the Ad Limina Visit. I will do my best to represent our local Church. If allowed to ask, I will inquire when our Diocese will have a new Bishop.  My role as Apostolic Administrator is only temporary.  We need a new Bishop to lead us.

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Rev. Fr. Ryan P. Jimenez
Apostolic Administrator
Appointed, December 28, 2010