Ireland’s Church announces plans for 2012 International Eucharistic congress
(March 08, 2011) Ireland’s Catholic leaders on Monday formally launched plans for
the 50th International Eucharistic Congress. The congress, on the theme, "The Eucharist:
Communion with God and Each Other," is to set from June 10-17, 2012 in various locations
of Dublin Archdiocese. Organizers said the closing Mass will be held at Dublin's
Croke Park and is expected to attract up to 80,000 pilgrims, including 12,000 from
overseas. Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin announced that although Pope Benedict
XVI has been invited, there are no plans in place for his visit at the moment. Anne
Griffin, general manager of the congress, said the closing ceremony will be ticketed
and that international delegates who come on a three- or seven-day registration will
have the option to attend. Registration is opening next month for those wishing to
attend the Congress, with registration fee set at €80 ($112). The faithful can follow
the congress website at www.iec2012.ie, which provides resources in six languages.
An International Eucharistic Congress is a universal gathering of Catholics, aimed
at promoting the Eucharist as the centre of the life and mission of the Catholic Church
and to promote the social dimension of the Eucharist. A different country hosts the
Congress every four years, with the first International Eucharistic Congress taking
place in Lille France in 1881. In Asia, it has been hosted in Manila, the Philippines,
in 1937, Bombay, India in 1964 and Seoul, South Korea in 1989.