Pope praises Corpus Christi processions, commends blood donation

(June 11, 2012) Pope Benedict XVI on Sunday praised the “lively tradition” of holding solemn processions with the Blessed Sacrament “through the streets and squares” on the Feast of Corpus Christi. “The Catholic Church professes worship of the Eucharist ‘not only during Mass, but also outside of its celebration, preserving with the utmost diligence the consecrated hosts, presenting them for the solemn veneration of the Christian faithful, carrying them in procession with the joy of the Christian crowd’,” he said quoting his predecessor Pope Paul VI’s 1965 encyclical “Mysterium Fidei.” Pope Benedict said this before praying his weekly midday Marian ‘Angelus’ prayer with thousands of pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square. Today’s Feast of Corpus Christi commemorates the real presence of Christ’s body and blood in the Eucharist and has been celebrated universally since 1264 the Pope noted. While the Vatican celebrated the feast on Thursday with the Pope celebrating a Mass and leading a public procession with the blessed Sacrament, many dioceses worldwide transfer it to the following Sunday. The Pope said that the Eucharistic procession is “a great act of public worship” that reminds everybody that “the Lord remains present beyond the time of the celebration” of Mass. This is why in church buildings, from earliest times, “the most sacred place is precisely where the Eucharist is kept” in the tabernacle. The Pope also expressed his closeness with the people of northern Italian region of Emilia Romagna who were hit by a recent earthquake and continue to suffer tremors. He recalled that amid the ruined churches, “the Eucharistic Body of Christ, in the tabernacles, has also remained in certain cases under the rubble.”
After the ‘Angelus’ prayer, Pope Benedict drew attention to World Blood Donor Day on Thursday, sponsored by the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO). “I express my hearty appreciation for those who engage in this form of solidarity which is indispensable for the life of many sick people,” the Pope said in remarks in Italian. The June 14 annual event is meant to raise awareness of the need for safe blood and blood products and to thank voluntary unpaid blood donors for their life-saving gifts of blood. The theme of the 2012 World Blood Donor Day campaign is, “Every blood donor is a hero”. It focuses on the idea that every one of us can become a hero by giving blood. While recognizing the silent and unsung heroes who save lives every day through their blood donations, the theme also strongly encourages more people all over the world to donate blood voluntarily and regularly. Annually some 92 million people donate all types of blood worldwide. Of these, 45% are under the age of 25, and 40% are women. The launch of World Blood Donor Day took place on 14 June 2004 in Johannesburg, South Africa.