Herald Malaysia
KUALA LUMPUR – The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei (CBCMSB) will undertake their ad limina visit to Rome from May 18 – 23.
During the visit, the bishops are scheduled to meet the Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, on Friday, May 22. They will also hold a series of meetings with various Dicasteries and Pontifical Offices, as part of the week-long program.
“The ad limina Apostolorum visits represent the highest expression of communion between bishops of local Churches and the Bishop of Rome, together with his closest collaborators in the Roman Curia,” according to the Final Document of the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops 2024.
Held approximately every five years, the visit requires diocesan bishops from around the world to undertake a pilgrimage to the Tombs of Saints Peter and Paul, meet the Pope, and present a report on the spiritual and administrative state of their dioceses.
This obligation is set out in Canon Law. Canon 399 §1 states: “Every five years a diocesan bishop is bound to make a report to the Supreme Pontiff on the state of the diocese entrusted to him, according to the form and time determined by the Apostolic See.” Canon 400 §1 further provides: “Unless the Apostolic See has established otherwise, during the year in which he is bound to submit a report to the Supreme Pontiff, a diocesan bishop is to go to Rome to venerate the tombs of the Blessed Apostles Peter and Paul and to present himself to the Roman Pontiff.”
The last ad limina visit of the CBCMSB took place in February 2018 and was led by Cardinal Sebastian Francis, who was then Bishop of Penang and President of the Conference. A total of 14 bishops from Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei — including two emeritus archbishops, one cardinal, four archbishops and seven bishops — participated in the visit, during which they met the Holy Father, Pope Francis.
In accordance with Canon Law, the subsequent visit was due in 2023. However, the global COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the schedule, resulting in its postponement. Further delays followed due to the ill health of Pope Francis, who prioritised apostolic journeys during this period. His 12-day, four-nation visit to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Timor- Leste and Singapore was his longest apostolic journey prior to his passing on Apr 21, 2025.
Following the election of Pope Leo XIV as the 267th Pope, the Vatican resumed ad limina visits beginning January 2026. The CBCMSB Secretariat was formally notified by the Apostolic Nunciature to Malaysia on May 28, 2025, in line with the requirement to provide one year’s notice, allowing bishops sufficient time to prepare their quinquennial reports.
For the 2026 visit, a total of 10 bishops from this region — comprising one emeritus archbishop, two cardinals, three archbishops and four bishops — will meet Pope Leo XIV and heads of various dicasteries of the Roman Curia. These sessions will include presentations and discussions on the pastoral, administrative and missionary life of their respective dioceses.
A key focus of the visit will be the sharing of developments in the implementation phase of the Synod on Synodality, initiated by Pope Francis in 2021. The meeting with the Synod General Secretariat, led by Cardinal Mario Grech, will provide an opportunity for the bishops to reflect on the synodal journey of the Church in Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei, where the Catholic communities, though small in number, continue to grow in vitality.
During the visit, Cardinal Sebastian Francis is also scheduled to visit his titular church, Santa Maria Causa Nostrae Laetitiae (Church of Holy Mary, Cause of Our Joy). He is expected to celebrate the Sacrament of Confirmation on Pentecost Sunday for confirmands of the parish, which is also preparing a group of approximately 300 youths to participate in World Youth Day 2027 in Seoul. The group is expected to visit Malaysia after the WYD event.
As the bishops undertake this ad limina visit, the faithful are encouraged to keep them in prayer, seeking a fruitful and grace-filled encounter as the Church in Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei continues to journey in communion with the universal Church and the Holy Father. The laity are also urged to pray for vocations to the priesthood and religious life, especially in light of the ageing clergy, mindful of the words of Scripture: “The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few” (Mt 9:37). – Herald Malaysia
