By Alexander Mackey Okori
The visit comes ahead of Pope Leo XIV’s planned first apostolic journey to Africa in April 2026, visiting Algeria, Cameroon, Angola, and Equatorial Guinea, underscoring the Vatican’s focus on the continent’s rapidly growing Catholic communities.
Ugandan Catholic Bishops, their umbrella body, the Uganda Episcopal Conference (UEC), on Tuesday, March 17, 2026, renewed their commitment to the apostolic mission of the Church at the tombs of Saint Peter Basilica in Rome.
The Bishops led by Bishop Sanctus Lino Wanok of Lira Diocese and Vice Chairperson the Uganda Episcopal Conference departed Uganda on Saturday, March 14, for Ad Limina Apostolorum visit which is scheduled to conclude on March 21, 2026.
This mark the first time the Ugandan Bishops have met Pope Leo XIV, the former Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, elected in May 2025 as the first American-born pontiff, collectively since his election.
The ad limina visits, meaning “to the thresholds” of the apostles, require bishops to report every five years, though intervals can vary from three to ten years, on the pastoral, educational, social, and administrative life of their dioceses and this visit is mandatory.
“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,” reads Canon 399 of the Catholic Church”.
The Ad Limina Apostolorum visit is a periodic pilgrimage undertaken by Catholic bishops worldwide to Rome, typically every five years and each Episcopal conference is scheduled according to a plan established by the Holy See.
In an interview with the Vatican News, Bishop Wanok, said the visit offers bishops the opportunity to meet with the Pope and Vatican officials to present reports on the pastoral and administrative state of their dioceses.
He observed that during a one-week visit, the bishops are also expected to meet with the Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, and engage in discussions with leaders of various Vatican departments.
According to him, the Ad Limina visit reinforces the unity between local Churches and the Holy See, while allowing bishops to present the progress, challenges, and pastoral needs of their dioceses.
Bishop Wanok added that these meetings provide an opportunity for the bishops to receive guidance, encouragement, and direction from Vatican authorities on matters concerning faith, Church governance, and evangelization.
The visit comes ahead of Pope Leo XIV’s planned first apostolic journey to Africa in April 2026, visiting Algeria, Cameroon, Angola, and Equatorial Guinea, underscoring the Vatican’s focus on the continent’s rapidly growing Catholic communities.
Uganda’s last full visit occurred in June 2018 under Pope Francis, with a prior one in March 2010 under Pope Benedict XVI.
In between, Ugandan bishops have maintained contact through smaller delegations or individual trips.
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