Today, Thursday 17 November 2022, Pope Francis received the bishops of the Federal Republic of Germany.

According to the Holy See Press Office, the reason for the meeting is the periodic ad limina visit of the country’s bishops and, as usual, the details of the meeting were not made public as they are of a private nature.

The ad limina visit originates from the pilgrimage to the tombs of Apostles Peter and Paul in Rome. The main purpose of this visit is to inform the Pope about the situation in their respective dioceses. It is also to strengthen ties with the Holy See. According to Catholic canon law, every diocesan bishop is obliged to make a so-called ad limina visit to the Vatican every five years.