Pope Meets another group of India’s Catholic Bishops on their Ad Limina Visit

(May 26, 2011) Pope Benedict XVI met a group of Catholic Bishops from South India on their Ad Limina visit on Thursday. The visit ad limina means the obligation of the heads of the Dioceses of visiting Rome every five years the relics of Sts. Peter and Paul, and of presenting themselves before the pope to give an account of the state of their dioceses. Pope Benedict XVI first met Archbishop Francis Kallarakal of Verapoly, Kerala. Archdiocese of Verapoly, once known as "Malabar Vicariate" is one of the oldest Archdioceses of India of the Latin Rite. "Verapolis" which means "True City", takes its name from the Island of Verapoly, the oldest seat of Carmelite Missionaries in India. Pope Benedict then met six other Bishops of Andhra Pradesh, South India. They were Bishop Prasad Gallela of Cuddapah, Bishop Paul Maipan of Khammam, Bishop Anthony Poola of Kurnool, Bishop Joji Govindu of Nalgonda, Bishop Bali Gali of Guntur and Bishop Moses Doraboina Prakasam of Nellore dioceses. This year the Indian Bishops are making their ad limina visits to Rome which began in March with the Syro-Malakara rite Bishops. These visits will end in September.