Holy Father Pope Francis welcomed visiting Pakistani Catholic Bishops in the Vatican. His Excellency Archbishop Joseph Coutts of Karachi highlighted that this meeting was more informal where the Pope reminded them they were all bishops, he being the Bishop of Rome. His Grace Archbishop of Karachi said that they also talked about serious issues. One could see the concern on the Pope’s face regarding the negative feeling about Pakistan abroad, especially with issues such as terrorism, and how they were coping with the situation.
His Holiness Pope Francis also encouraged the bishops in inter-religious dialogue, which the archbishop said comes quite natural to the Church in Pakistan. However, this consists more in a dialogue of life rather than in discussions and lectures.
Members of the Pakistan Catholic Bishops’ Conference (PCBC) are currently in Rome on what is called the “ad limina” visit. Heads of dioceses make such visits every 5 years or so to report on the state of their jurisdictions.
