Pope: Europe, the Eucharist and daily life

Pope Benedict XVI will not be physically travelling to Dublin for the 50^th International Eucharist Congress (June 10-17), but his prayer intentions for the month of June leave little room for doubt that he will be spiritually following pilgrims in Ireland every step of the way.
His general prayer intention for June is: “That believers may recognize in the Eucharist the living presence of the Risen One who accompanies them in daily life”.

While his missionary intention is: "That Christians in Europe may rediscover their true identity and participate with greater enthusiasm in the proclamation of the Gospel".

“The theme of communion has yet not been sufficiently explored”, says Fr. Brendan Leahy, Professor Emeritus of Systematic Theology at St. Patricks College Maynooth. “We know it notionally and we agree that it is the way forward, but we really haven’t completely explored what the logic of communion is, how it works, at every level of the Church”.Listen to Fr. Leahy’s interview with Emer McCarthy:

There is one week to go to the Opening Ceremony in the week long event on the theme, “The Eucharist: Together with Christ and with one another”, Ireland is preparing to welcome thousands of pilgrims from over 120 different nations to celebrate the Risen Lord and explore the ecclesiology of communion.

Fr. Leahy is also Chairperson of the organising committee for the International Theology Symposium that will be taking place in Maynooth, June 6th-9^thon the theme The Eucharistic Ecclesiology of Communion. He says “the Eucharist does have a genetic code and if we allow ourselves to immerse ourselves in the mystery of the Eucharistic we will discover how to live with one another”.

The year 2012 marks the 50^th anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council that so strongly underlined the ecclesiology of communion. The theology symposium examines the status questionis fifty years on.

The Papal Legate for the 50th International Eucharistic Congress, Cardinal Marc Ouellet, who is head of the Vatican Congregation for bishops and former Archbishop of Quebec (the diocese that hosted the last Eucharistic Congress), will give the keynote opening address on the first day of the Symposium. Cardinal Kurt Koch, President of the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity, will present on the topic of The Church as Communion, Ecumenism and the Eucharist. Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez will also address the gathering on the topic of Mission and the Eucharist.