The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1910-03-05
The Members of the Amer.
lean Hierarchy Are
Required
To Make Their Ad Limina
Visits to Rome Every
Ten Years.
A Report Every Five Years
by Ordinaries of the
World.

The latest reform of Plus X, relntes
to the visits to Rome of the bishons
and the reports they are to make.
The years 1914 1919 and 1924 WIFI
be great years for visiting Rome under
the new system The Roman corr
respondent of The Tablet thus describes
the new Decree:
The new law now promulgated
ordains that all ordinaries of places
IN Europe are to make their ad limina
visits every five years, While for those
outside Europe the obligation arises
only every ten years. Further, the Of
fetal visits to Rome are arranged &C.
cording to fixed quinquennal sequences
which begin with the beginning OF tho
year 1911.
In the first year Of each uuinuuen-
mum the report and the visits are to
be made by the Bishops OF Italy and
the adjacent islands; i'm the second
by the ordinares of Spain, Portugal.
France, Belgium. Holland. England.
Scotland and Ireland; in the third by
those of Austria Hungary, Germany,
and the rest of Europe with its islands:
| in the fourth by those Of America and
tile islands of America, and in the fifth
by all the rest Of the ordinaries who
arc not subject to Propaganda.
But even more important than this
Decree is the long and detailed in
struction which follows it, concerning
the report to bc presented every five
years to the Holy See by the ordinaries
Of the whole world. IT. consists of six
teen chapters, containing no fewer than
$50 principal questions. many OF which
are divided into half a dozen others.
The bishop begins his report by Civ
ing brief data. concerning himself and
the general condition Of his diocese;
then he Is to state the main facts res
garding the diocese: origin, rank, exc
tent, nationality. climate, language
lc).
He is to state whether divine wor.
ship is freely exercised, and, if not,
what arc the obstacles, and what can
be done to remove them, whether there
are churches II properly equipped, and
how they are kept; whether inventories
Of their furniture, etc, are kept, what
| specially precious or artistic or ancient
objects they contain, and what is be-
ing done to prevent their loss or deteri-
Grafton. i
| Then the bishop has to answer fif-
| teen questions concerning himself, his
revenue as bishop, his fulfllment Of
tho specific duties Of his charge. Seven
questions exhaust the subject OF the
diocesan c"ria. but when they are an.
swered there is little more to be said.
There are twelyo exhaustive Inquiries
Witch require at Least fifty precise an-
swers. about the clergy generally In.
formation about cathedral and other
chapters is to be compressed into
eleven answers; they leave nothing un-
| touched; but there are eighteen ques-
| tons, requiring at least a hundred
| detailed anEwcrs. concerning the par.
ishes and their rectors.
Twenty questions are put on the sub
ject OF the diocesan or interdjocesan
seminary; twelve exhaust the subject
Of the religious institutes of men and
women in the diocese; there are thir-
teen on the general religious condi-
ton Of the faithful! with special refer
'ences to the questions of mixed mars
riages, religious instruction, secret so.
cieties. Socialism, and even spiritual.
ism. The subject Of the education OF
the young occupies one page of the in-s
strucLion and six questions; there arc
five questions relating2toreligious Soda
lties and associations. six ON pioua
legacies and On money, collections, five
Oh charitable and social organizations;
and the document closes with four
pertinent inquiries concerning the kind
OF matter that is generally read by tho
jpeople. fs