Pope meets Bishops of Indian Episcopal Conference

Sept. 02, 2011: A group of Latin-rite bishops from the Episcopal Conference of India met Pope Benedict XVI on Friday on their ad limina visit at the Apostolic Palace of Castel Gandolfo. The ad limina visit is a regular visit, which bishops are required to make every five years or so to report on the state of their jurisdiction.
Among those who had private audience with the Pope on Friday include Archbishop Felix Anthony Machado, Archbishop of Vasai; Bishop Edwin Colaço, Bishop of Aurangabad; Bishop Lourdes Daniel, Bishop of Nashik; bishop Thomas Dabre, Bishop of Poona with the Bishop Emeritus Bishop Valerian D'Souza; Bishop Anthony Alwyn Fernandes Barreto, Bishop of Sindhudurg; Bishop Thomas Macwan Ignatius, Bishop of Ahmedabad and Bishop Godfrey de Rozario, Bishop of Baroda.
‘We are happy and contended’, said the bishops after their meeting with the Pope on Friday. This year the ad limina visits of the Indian bishops to Rome began in March with the Syro-Malankara rite bishops followed by Syro-Malabar rite bishops. The ad limina visits of the latin rite bishops which began on Thursday will conclude on Saturday.