The eleven members of the Episcopal Conference of Honduras were received by Pope Francis in their Ad Limina visit on September 4, 2017. The gathering provided the opportunity for questions, sharing and listening.
The delegation was led by Cardinal Óscar Andrés Rodríguez Maradiaga, 74, S.D.B., archbishop of Tegucigalpa, who also is coordinator of the Pope’s nine-member Council of Cardinal Advisors (C9) instituted by Pope Francis to help in the reform of the Roman Curia and the government of the Church.
It was an informal meeting, to talk about different issues, in the course of which the Pontiff liked to hear and ask questions. The Vatican didn’t publish today any address or message of the Holy Father, but only photos, notably the moment of gift giving.
Out of 9.1 million inhabitants, Catholic represent 76% of the population in this Central American country, situated between Nicaragua (South-East) El Salvador (South-West) and Guatemala to the West. It is bordered on the North by the Caribbean Sea.
The other 10 bishops attending were: Bishop Juan José Pineda Fasquelle, C.M.F.; Bishop Guy Charbonneau, P.M.E., bishop of Choluteca; Bishop Roberto Camilleri, O.F.M., bishop of Comayagua; Bishop Joseph Bonello, O.F.M., bishop of Juticalpa; Bishop Michael Lenihan, O.F.M., bishop of La Ceiba; Bishop Ángel Garachana Pérez, C.M.F., bishop of San Pedro Sula; Bishop Darwin Rudy Andino Ramírez, C.R.S., bishop of Santa Rosa of Copán; Bishop Luis Solé Fa, C.M., bishop of Trujillo; Bishop Héctor David García Osorio, bishop of Yoro; Bishop José Antonio Canales Motiño, bishop of Danlí: a new diocese formed by Pope Francis in January 2017.
