PNG catholic nun recalls historic Ad Limina meeting with late Pope Francis and bishops

A Papua New Guinean religious sister was the first woman in the history of the Catholic church to be allowed to be a part of the Ad Limina Apostolorum Audience with the Bishops of Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands. 

The Visita Ad Limina, or simply to the thresholds of the Apostles, visit and meeting took place in the Vatican, back in 2023.

It is a visit by the bishops to the tombs of Saints Peter and Paul and meet with the Pope every 5 years. 

Sr Daisy Anne Lisania, from the Missionary Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, is the Secretary for Social Communications of the Catholic Bishops Conference of PNG and Solomon Islands.

It was in this role that she found herself among the bishops and in a meeting with the late Pope Francis.

She recalls this historic experience, in an interview with the Vatican News, during the Holy Father's visit to the country:

"What was significant was that no woman in the history of the Catholic Church was allowed to have the audience of the ad limina with the bishops. And here I was there amongst the bishops.

"I was the communications personnel, and so we stood at the palace of the Vatican. We were about to go inside to meet the Pope, and here comes his assistant, and he looks at the list, and he says, So the Pope looks at the list, and he says, the bishops are here.

"We also have the general secretary, but there is one more person, and she's a woman, yeah, and she's communications personnel, but of course, she's a nun, but she's a woman.

"I was the last one, and when I went to shake the hands of Pope Francis, he looked at me, and he smiled, and he said, Are you one of the bishops? And I laughed. You know, there was a very beautiful atmosphere. I really gave a laugh, and then he also looked at me, and then I said, Your holiness, I am just communications personnel," Sr Daisy recalls.

She said, when admitted to the meeting, the late Pope Francis highlighted the importance of communication - adding that it demonstrates the Holy Father's appreciation of Women's contribution to the church.

An emotional Sr Daisy described the gesture by the late Pope as one of discipleship and leadership.

"It's like when I was there, breaking the history of the church, but breaking the history of this history, the long line of having only the bishops there, but he can recognize women.

For me, he shows total discipleship, total leadership of a servant leader who embraces everyone, even if you're a woman. 

These tears are tears of joy. Yeah, and then when we went down, and we sat together with the bishops, and he says, welcome my brother Cardinal and my brother bishops, and I'm very happy that you brought a woman bishop with you.

PNG's Cardinal Sir John Ribat and Tonga's Cardinal Soane Mafi attended Pope Francis' funeral on Saturday and will now attend the conclave, which begins May 7th, to elect his successor.