Other apostolic visitations
According to the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF), an apostolic visitation is an “exceptional initiative of the Holy See” that involves a delegated visitor or visitors being sent to evaluate an ecclesial institute, such as a seminary, diocese, or religious order, on behalf of the pope.
“Apostolic visitations are intended to assist the institute in question to improve the way in which it carries out its function in the life of the Church,” according to a glossary of terms provided by the DDF.
An apostolic visitation is a specific form of canonical visitation, which is any instance of an ecclesial superior visiting or sending a delegate to persons or institutions under their authority to maintain sound doctrine and morals or correct abuses. The pope can initiate apostolic visitations throughout the universal Church in his capacity as the supreme pontiff.
Apostolic visitors differ from other papal delegates, such as nuncios assigned to a specific country, in that their mission is more specific and transient, usually focused on a particular episode or emergency that has emerged. The scope and abilities of a specific apostolic visitation are determined by their associated mandate given by the pope, and conclude when the responsible delegate submits a formal written report to the Holy See.
The practice has been employed frequently by Pope Francis during his 10 years as pontiff.
Bishop Daniel Fernandez Torres of the Diocese of Arecibo in Puerto Rico was reportedly the subject of an apostolic visitation made by Chicago’s Cardinal Blase Cupich before his removal from office on March 9, 2022.
Although the Vatican never provided any official reason for his removal, the metropolitan archbishop of Puerto Rico said it was due to “insubordination to the pope,” likely related to Bishop Fernandez Torres breaking from his fellow Puerto Rican bishops by not sending his diocese’s seminarians to a newly established national seminary and also refusing to sign a joint statement on the duty to receive a COVID-19 vaccination.
Several other bishops have also been removed from their dioceses or requested “early retirement” following apostolic visitations in recent years.
Bishop Martin D. Holley was removed from the Diocese of Memphis on Oct. 24, 2018, following a three-day apostolic visitation in June 2018 by Archbishops Wilton Gregory (then archbishop of Atlanta) and Bernard Hebda of St. Paul and Minneapolis that reportedly looked into allegations of mismanagement of diocesan personnel and finance.
In Paraguay, Bishop Rogelio Livieres Plano was removed from governance of the Diocese of Ciudad del Este on Sept. 25, 2014, following accusations of a lack of collegiality following an apostolic visitation that took place in July of that year.
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And in Buffalo, Pope Francis accepted the “early retirement” request of Bishop Richard Malone in December 2019 after the bishop had faced significant criticism for his handling of clerical sex abuse in the diocese and was the recipient of an apostolic visitation in October 2019.
The Vatican also reportedly sent an apostolic visitation to the Diocese of Knoxville in November 2022, where Bishop Richard Stika has recently been embroiled in allegations of sex abuse cover-up. The Vatican has reportedly asked Stika to resign, but he remains in office.
Earlier this year, the Dicastery for Bishops launched an apostolic visitation of the Diocese of Toulon-Fréjus, a leading source of vocations in France. Another high-profile visitation took place in Ireland in 2010–2011.
Apostolic visitations to dioceses with embattled bishops do not always result in discipline or removal of the local ordinary. Cologne’s Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki was the subject of an apostolic visitation in May 2021 amid fierce criticism over the way the German prelate had handled abuse cases in his archdiocese, but Pope Francis did not accept Woelki’s offer of resignation after the visitation found that he had not broken canon law.
Previously, apostolic visitations were conducted to U.S. seminaries (1983–1987), women’s religious institutions in the U.S. (2009–2012), and the Legionaries of Christ (2009) after their founder was discovered to have committed numerous acts of sexual and psychological abuse.
Notably, there has never been an apostolic visitation related to former cardinal Theodore McCarrick, formerly the archbishop of Washington and head of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops who was found guilty of serial sexual abuse, despite recent requests from U.S. Church leadership.