Ad Limina Visit of the Scandinavian Bishops’ Conference

Pope Francis welcomed the Bishops of northern Europe (Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Iceland) for their ad limina visit in Rome on 5-12 June 2018.  Sr. Anna Mirijam Kaschner, CPS, Secretary General of the Scandinavian Bishops’ Conference, had the opportunity to meet the Holy Father as well as visit the different dicasteries.

The Bishops’ Conference of the Scandinavian countries is unique in that it represents five countries in which the Catholic Church is considered to be a minority.  With close to 150,000 faithful, Sweden is considered to have the largest Catholic population in Scandinavia.

As we step into the Jubilee Year from December 2024 to 2025,
let us invite God the Holy Spirit to enable us to be real pilgrims of Hope
in our communities and among the people we serve. 

Father in heaven,
may the faith you have given us
in your son, Jesus Christ, our brother,
and the flame of charity enkindled
in our hearts by the Holy Spirit,
reawaken in us the blessed hope
for the coming of your Kingdom.

May your grace transform us
into tireless cultivators of the seeds of the Gospel.
May those seeds transform from within both humanity
and the whole cosmos
in the sure expectation
of a new heaven and a new earth,
when, with the powers of Evil vanquished,
your glory will shine eternally.

May the grace of the Jubilee
reawaken in us, Pilgrims of Hope,
a yearning for the treasures of heaven.
May that same grace spread
the joy and peace of our Redeemer
throughout the earth.
To you our God, eternally blessed,
be glory and praise for ever.
Amen (more…)