The pastoral visit is one of the ways through which the Bishop maintains personal contact with the clergy and with other members of the People of God. It is an occasion to rejuvenate the energies of those engaged in various forms of ministry and an opportunity to invite the faithful to a renewal of Christian life and to an ever more intense apostolic activity.
The pastoral visit also helps the Bishop to evaluate the effectiveness of the structures and agencies designed for pastoral service, taking account of the circumstances and difficulties of the task of ministry, so as to determine more accurately the priorities and the means required for overall pastoral provision.