What is an Apostolic Visitation? 
What is likely to happen in practice in Ireland ?

The Church describes consecrated life in terms of a special gift in the life of the Church, a gift that is spelled out according to each Institute’s special charism, gifts that belong to the life and holiness of the Church. The purpose of these gifts is described in terms of: seeking the perfection of charity/love in the service of God’s kingdom, for the honour of God, the building up of the Church and the salvation of the world.

The prophetic element is elaborated thus: Religious are a splendid sign in the Church as they foretell Christ’s heavenly glory. Eminent writers have written about this prophetic dimension. It is about recognising the situation in which we find ourselves, speaking out, pointing beyond and being prepared to pay the price.

The service of authority and obedience Faciem tuam puts it thus: consecrated persons are those who have God as their goal; his word as their light and his will as their guide.

If this is who we are, how we can doubt the importance of the task we have been given now: to discuss the best way to go about visitation which in the words of Pope Benedict XVI is intended TO ASSIST THE LOCAL CHURCH ON HER PATH OF RENEWAL. This is important: this Visitation is about renewal and it is about the local Church in which we religious are key constituents.

Mother Clare Millea the woman charged with responsibility for the Apostolic Visitation of women religious in the US spoke of the visitation in terms of “a quickening of prophetic grace that we may serve in faithfully loving the Church and love the Church in humble service.”


What is an Apostolic Visitation?
Clearly an Apostolic Visitation is an exercise of ecclesiastical power of governance in the external forum. It developed from the practice of the canonical visitation of a bishop or his delegate, of the diocese and the canonical visitation of religious.

The development of this instrument in history enables us to understand Apostolic Visitation as ordinary or extraordinary depending on whether it is a function of general legislation (visit of diocesan bishop/religious major superior) or envisages a particular situation (Visit to Legionaries of Christ re founder); local (to a place) or personal (to concrete individuals); general where all aspects of place or person are examined or special; informative (gather information), corrective (denounces abuses) or reformative (to effect a change in current conditions); paternal (visitor exhorts), administrative (prescribes corrective measures), judicial (institutes a penal process).

In the early days, canonical visitation of religious houses was linked to the general chapter, just as the diocesan visitation was linked to the diocesan and parochial synods. Trent mandated visitation by major superiors. The visitor was specifically charged with inquiring about the conduct of superiors and the performances of their duties because the transgressions of these were far more damaging….religious were bound to answer truthfully.

In the course of the history of canon law, the emergence of various forms of canonical visitations had been complemented by the development of procedures deemed appropriate to the various kinds of visitations. By the time of CIC 1917 the traditional forms of Apostolic Visitations had survived but the complementary procedural safeguards had virtually disappeared. Apostolic visitors were limited by their mandates but possessed all the powers necessary for carrying out their mission. However, no public procedural norms governed the conduct of the visitation. The prudence of the visitor had to be informed by the fact that they were confidential.

Since the Gregorian reforms of the 11th century, Apostolic Visitations have been employed frequently in the West by the Apostolic See to assert and vindicate papal primacy for the purpose of effecting reform of the Church in head and members. Nevertheless the central concern of apostolic visitation has been to gather information and make recommendations about the life and ministry of the bishops of the Churches visited. Since Church reforms have typically come from the top down the reform of a particular Church has been viewed as being critically dependent on the effectiveness of the ministry of the local bishop and his fidelity to the mind, agenda and dictates of the Holy See.

Apostolic visitations have been traditionally used to call bishops to a more effective and faithful ministry by rebukes, corrections, decrees. Where a visitation indicated a bishop’s ministry had become ineffective for whatever reason, the Apostolic See has employed broad power to remove, transfer or limit the bishop’s authority. Usually very discrete methods are used to avoid giving scandal to the faithful.


By the time of the codification of the law in 1917 (CIC 1917 c.343 §1)
the purpose of visitation was described in terms of: preserving sound and orthodox doctrine, protecting good morals, correcting the wicked, promoting peace, innocence, piety and discipline in the people and the clergy and constituting other things for the good of religion by reason of the circumstances. The Code had little to say about the procedure of visitation.


Vatican II hardly touched the subject except to emphasise the eminently pastoral ministry of the diocesan bishop and that this novus habitus mentis could only prompt a re-thinking of the purpose and procedure of the  bishop’s visitation of his flock. However, Paul VI characterized the visitation of the diocese of Rome as “an act of the apostolate, not a bureaucratic inquiry, not a juridic formality but a life giving event” (Allocution on opening of the pastoral visitation of Diocese of Rome, 9 April 1967); the Directory on the Pastoral Ministry of Bishops 1973 suggested an understanding that was more pastoral than the disciplinary institute inherited from canonical tradition: the principal reason for visitation of the parishes is that the bishop may meet together with persons, namely, the clergy, religious and laity. Everything done in the visitation should tend in this direction.” The Directory called for “new forms, adapted to different localities and new concerns and methods that will make it more useful in our times.” So the Directory presents visitation as an instrument of pastoral renewal.

Vatican II: a “sure compass” by which to take our bearings, according to John Paul II in Apostolic Letter Novo Millennio Ineunte, 6 January 2001. According to Benedict XIV to clergy of 2 Italian dioceses, 24 July 2007: Vatican II is still a magna carta of the Church’s journey, very essential and fundamental; and in an address to the Curia, 22 December 2005, Benedict spoke about exploring further the Church’s “hermeneutic of reform” that aimed to determine “in a new way the relationship between the Church and the modern era”.

I remind you of this because many today in Ireland and as is evident in the Holy See also seem to believe that the way forward is to go backward.

Canonical literature concerning Apostolic Visitation is sparse since CIC 1917. Paul VI’s Regimini Ecclesiae universae on the reform of the Curia re-iterated that the Congregation for Bishops, the successor to the Consistorial Congregation was the authority competent to conduct and act on Apostolic Visitations of dioceses; Art 79 of Pastor Bonus of John Paul II confirmed this authority. Little has changed in the rationale, forms, agents and procedure for conducting apostolic visitations in the past century, a fact confirmed by the anecdotal reports of recent apostolic visitations of dioceses.

From its origins canonical visitation had been linked more or less closely to ecclesiastical penal procedure. However, the aim was to correct not to punish but this kept the institute of visitation firmly anchored in the realm of ecclesiastical disciplinary procedure. However the process gradually became administrative in nature since they aimed at collecting reliable information for the ecclesiastical superior to use in making prudent decisions to promote the common good of a particular Church.

CIC 1983 c. 628 does not substantially alter CIC 1917: superiors must visit the houses and members entrusted to them; diocesan bishops have the right and duty to visit autonomous houses and individual houses of a diocesan institute even in respect of religious discipline; the members are to act trustingly with the visitor and are bound to reply to his lawful questions truthfully in charity. It is not lawful for anyone in any way to divert members from this obligation or otherwise to hinder the scope of the investigation
The most recent example of Apostolic Visitation is of course the current one involving women religious in the US.

On 3 November 2009, Cardinal Rodé, Prefect of CICLSAL indicated that he had been listening for many years to the concerns expressed by American Catholics, religious, laity, clergy and hierarchy about the welfare of religious women and consecrated life in general. He saw an apostolic visitation as a means to assess and constructively address these concerns. His hope was, in his own words: that the apostolic visitation will not only provide the Holy See with a thorough analysis of the condition of religious life in the US but also be a realistic and graced opportunity for personal and community introspection as major superiors and sisters cooperate in this study.”

Mother Clare Millea, the appointed Visitator wrote to American religious women 12 January 2010: “For nearly a year now, we women religious have been engaged in a communal seeking of love in truth, a dialogue with the Church, an experience of grace which is the apostolic visitation. Our common search to enhance the vitality of our congregations, to affirm our sisters and to encourage new membership will bear fruit in the measure that our participation is marked by “the splendour of truth and the gentle light of Christ’s charity” (Benedict VI)

However, there was no form of consultation with UISG or any representative body before the visitation was initiated. Another feature of this visitation is that usually a visitation is made to the whole of a specific congregation as the case with the Legionaries of Christ. The fact that a single province (several provinces for some large congregations who have more than one province in US) of the congregations concerned is of particular significance and concern for General Superiors in Rome. The consultation of CORI indicates the Holy See has learned from the American experience.

The American Visitation has 4 steps:

1.   Input voluntarily offered by Superiors General: Mother Clare’s description of the phase is very positive where she learned about the spiritual patrimony of each congregation and how that is lived in service to the Church. She also referred to the fact that letters as well as the interviews enabled her to formulate more precisely the procedures of the Visitation

2.   Documentation and information requested by the visitor: the questionnaire asked for specific information about fundamental aspects of each congregation’s identity, present life-style and future projections. Mother Clare’s reflections on the responses led her to believe that the process was generating much self-evaluation and dialogue between leaders and members. She expressed sadness at those who had not responded and made a further appeal for all to respond on the basis that the questionnaire serves as an integral part of the visitation process, offering a privileged opportunity to present to the Apostolic See the unique charismatic identity of the congregation as well as their communal and ministerial experience of religious life. It also gave the Apostolic See the opportunity to listen to the joys, accomplishments, hopes and concerns of the members and to seek together with them, strategies for enhancing the vitality of the institute. When congregations received the questionnaire it was evident that the questions moved, within the same section at times, from a question about the province to a question about the Institute at large. There was a sense that the Vatican officials, or the group of US bishops who seem to have asked for this, know the people they wish to engage with so the question is why are they unable to be transparent and simply approach these people directly besides putting numerous congregations and thousands of individual religious through the Apostolic Visitation?  

Once questionnaires and other materials gathered about the individual congregations have been evaluated by a core team of religious who are aiding the Visitator, she will choose a representative sample of congregations to be visited. The size of the congregation, its principal apostolic works and its geographical location will be considered

3.   On-site visitation teams: In April 2010 teams began to visit a representative sample of congregations who individually and collectively act in the name of the Apostolic See. The on-site visits engage in dialogue primarily with leadership teams and a representative group of sisters eliciting their vision of the joys, challenges and obstacles they face in relation to seeking to live religious authentically today. Details were to be arranged with individual congregations in such a way as to provide the visitors with a broad and objective picture of the life and mission of the congregation and its impact on the local Church. The visitors will formulate a report to articulate the accomplishments, key strengths and challenges of the institute as revealed in their dialogue and will include any recommendations they consider appropriate.


4.   Compilation of the findings into a Report to the Prefect of CICLSAL: Report will include a summary of each institute, whether or not an on-site visit has taken place. Each institute will subsequently receive feedback from CICLSAL for the purpose of promoting its charismatic identity and apostolic vitality in on-going dialogue with the local and universal Church.

The visit does not include Contemplative communities or male communities: the former because apostolic religious life was the object of the concerns and the visitation of the seminaries included visitation of men religious.


Funding:
CICLSAL is ultimately responsible but the US Bishops were invited to voluntarily contribute and individual communities have been asked, if possible, to provide for travel, accommodation and office requisites.

Data:
Information provided by superiors general, the information gleaned from the Questionnaires, individual correspondence and on-site visits will be used to provide a comprehensive profile of the congregations in light of the charge given the visitor. It would appear that this will enable the Visitator to assess the strengths and concerns for the congregation.

This data will be used to produce a Report
An aggregate report of the quantitative data will not identify individual congregations
Cardinal Rodé has ordered the public release of this report. This is a welcome change in canonical practice.

Once studied and no longer needed, all documents and information received will be destroyed; no copies of these will be retained by the Apostolic Visitation Office.

A requirement that financial information be submitted was withdrawn

Individual letters are not usually acknowledged but the Visitation Office in the Holy See says these will be carefully studied; the office welcomes individual letters where members share concerns, hopes, and stories.

The CDF initiated a doctrinal assessment of LCWR. The Visitation Office says this is unconnected to CICLSAL’s Apostolic Visitation.

Visitation Teams
Religious were recommended as potential visitors by major superiors, bishops, priests, sisters; from these nominees, the Visitator, Mother Clare Millea invited representatives of various congregations, ministries and areas of expertise to serve on visiting teams. These teams underwent some orientation and training and were required to make the profession of faith and take the oath of fidelity because these people are exercising a public office in the name of the Church. The explanation given is that this profession carries with it a special grace which will strengthen the visitors in their delicate task. It will assist them to faithfully carry out their role in communion with the sound teachings and practice of the Catholic Church and not according to their own private judgement or subjective ideology.


So what happens in practice?
No specific procedure governs apostolic visitation except those specified by the Apostolic See in its appointment of the visitor or chosen at the discretion of the visitor. In our case, the reasons that prompted the visitation were referred to in Benedict XVI’s Pastoral letter in these terms: […] the Visitation, [….] is intended TO ASSIST THE LOCAL CHURCH ON HER PATH OF RENEWAL

This reason is elucidated in the Pastoral letter in par 2: considering the gravity of [these] offences [abuse of children] and the often inadequate response to them on the part of the ecclesiastical authorities [….] I propose a path of healing, renewal and reparation.

In listing the contributing factors to the present crisis in par. 4, Benedict names certain elements which are of particular concern to us:
Inadequate procedures for determining suitability of candidates for the priesthood and the religious life
Insufficient human, moral, intellectual and spiritual formation in seminaries and novitiates
A tendency in society to favour the clergy and other authority figures
A misplaced concern for the reputation of the Church and the avoidance of scandal

I suggest that religious might have other valuable suggestions in relation to creating new vision.

So, what to do?
I suggest we need to enter the process from a basis of love and not fear as Christ, and our founders and foundresses would encourage us to do. Fear is never a healthy foundation for anything. If one can get over the fear and annoyance (e.g. about being asked to pay for travel etc.) one can allow the process be an occasion of good reflection/review on our life and ministry.....leading to re-commitment and re-imaging for these times of the living charism that is the special gift of each congregation to the Church for the Church and which the Church in our land so badly needs at this time. Let us take courage from the words of God as recorded in Isaiah: Is. 43:19: I am about to do a new thing. Do you not perceive it?

Elizabeth Cotter IBVM
Vicar for Religious,  Archdiocese of Dublin.
21 April 2010