Francis Cardinal George, O.M.I., Archbishop of Chicago, and his auxiliary bishops -- as well as the ordinaries of all Catholic dioceses in Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin -- will travel to Rome tomorrow, May 22, for their ad limina visit, which takes its name from the ancient practice of pilgrimages ad limina apostolorum -"to the thresholds (or tombs)" of Sts. Peter and Paul, in Rome.

The term refers to the visits that ordinaries of dioceses are obliged to make to the Holy See every five years as a sign of communion with the Holy See and in order to report on the condition of the diocese. Ordinarily, bishops make their ad limina visits in groups, with the bishops of a country or ecclesiastical province traveling to Rome and meeting with the Pope together.

During the ad limina visit, the bishop is required to personally visit the tombs of Sts. Peter and Paul, and to visit with the Successor of Peter, the Bishop of Rome. During the meeting with the Holy Father, the bishop reports on the state of his diocese. The Pope then himself addresses the bishop, offering his perspective on the challenges facing the Church in the particular circumstances of the bishop's ministry.

Cardinal George and Auxiliary Bishops Gustavo Garcia-Siller, Francis Kane, Jerome Listecki, Thomas Paprocki and Joseph Perry will remain in Rome until Sunday, May 30.