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CHARLOTTE — Bishop Peter J. Jugis will go to Rome May 6-13 for his "ad limina" visit with Pope Benedict XVI – the first such meeting he will have with the current pontiff.

He will join other bishops from the Southeast on the trip, which is typically scheduled every five years or so. Bishop Jugis' previous "ad limina" visit was in 2004 to meet with Pope John Paul II.

The trips are an opportunity for the pope to meet with bishops from all over the world, reviewing the bishops' stewardship of their flocks and discussing the Church's needs in their areas. The visits also build up the relationship the pope has with his brother bishops, reaffirming their ties with the Holy See and the universal Church.

The visits formally are called "ad limina apostolorum," which means "to the thresholds of the apostles" Peter and Paul, who were martyred in Rome.

Pictured above: Bishop Peter Jugis visits with Pope John Paul II during his 'ad limina' visit in 2004. (CNS photo from Reuters)

"The ad limina visit strengthens our bond of communion with the Church of Rome and with the universal Church. I am eager to let the Holy Father and his closest collaborators know about all the great work we are doing in our diocese," Bishop Jugis said when the dates were announced.

U.S. bishops began making their "ad limina" visits to Rome last fall. The most recent delegation included the bishops from the District of Columbia, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, West Virginia, the U.S. Archdiocese for Military Services and the Virgin Islands.

Bishops make their "ad limina" visits to the Vatican to report on how well they have cared for their faithful, but also to give thanks to God for their bonds with the pope, the successor of the Apostle Peter, said Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl of Washington, D.C., during his recent visit to Rome. Bishops are charged with tending "the flock of God" entrusted to their pastoral care, Cardinal Wuerl said, and "we are here, in fact, to render an accounting of that sacred stewardship entrusted to us."

Pope John Paul II poses with U.S. bishops at the Vatican April 2, 2004. Bishops from the states of Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and the Military Archdiocese spent a week at the Vatican for their "ad limina" visit. (CNS photo from Reuters) Bishop Jugis will have meetings at the Vatican throughout the week he is in Rome, as well as present a report on the state of the Diocese of Charlotte. As is the custom, he and the other bishops will celebrate Mass at the tomb of St. Peter.

— Patricia L. Guilfoyle, editor (Catholic News Service contributed)