On Tuesday, September 11, at 10:30 a.m., Pope Francis will meet with all of the Venezuelan bishops, who are in Rome for their ad limina visit.
The Venezuelan Episcopal Conference's visit began September 6 at the Vatican, with a Mass at the tomb of St. Peter to pray for the country.
The bishops will be in the Eternal City until September 15. In their private encounter with the Holy Father, they will discuss the Church's situation in the nation and the fragile refugee crisis. Thousands of Venezuelans have been forced to live in misery due to lack of food, medicine and work.
The Venezuelan Church has nine archdioceses, 26 dioceses, one military ordinariate and two exarchates.
The bishops' last ad limina visit came in 2009, when the pontiff was Benedict XVI.