Vatican City, May 15, 2018 / 10:44 am
On their first day of meetings with Pope Francis, Chilean bishops have been asked to make a 24-hour retreat, using the time to pray and reflect on specific themes provided by Pope Francis until their next audience on Wednesday.
According a May 15 Vatican communique, Pope Francis met with the Chilean bishops today at 4pm local time, marking the first session of the May 15-17 gathering.
Francis gave the bishops a text "with different themes for meditation." Those themes have not been made public.
From the moment they received the text, "a time dedicated exclusively to prayer and meditation" was inaugurated, which will last until their next meeting Wednesday afternoon.
After Wednesday's session, the bishops will have two additional meetings on Thursday. Meetings have been planned as a group; it is unknown whether Pope Francis will also hold private audiences with particular bishops.