50th International Eucharistic Congress ends, next in Philippines
(June 18, 2012) The weeklong 50th International Eucharistic Congress concluded
on Sunday in Dublin, Ireland, with a message from Pope Benedict XVI urging Catholics
worldwide to a “joyful encounter with Jesus Christ”. Thunderous applause erupted
as Pope Benedict XVI appeared on the video screens to address those present at the
closing Mass of the Eucharistic Congress in Croke Park Stadium, presided over by the
Pope’s personal representative to the event, Cardinal Marc Ouellet. In the pre-recorded
video message, the Holy Father reflected on the theme of the congress: Communion with
Christ and With One Another, saying that the notion of koinonia (communion) has been
central to the understanding of the Church, its relationship with Christ, and in the
sacraments, particularly, the Eucharist. Speaking of the impact that the Eucharist
has had on the history of the Church in Ireland, Pope Benedict applauded the nation's
monks, martyrs, and missionaries that “have heroically lived the faith at home and
spread the Good News of God’s love and forgiveness well beyond your shores.” But the
Holy Father also regretted the scandal of clergy abuse in the Catholic Church in Ireland,
saying that the Christianity of those in the church who have abused and undermined
the credibility of the Church “was no longer nourished by joyful encounter with Jesus
Christ: it had become merely a matter of habit.” He then stated that both the Second
Vatican Council and the Eucharistic Congress aims at overcoming that kind of Christianity
and lead to a rediscovery of true faith in Jesus Christ. Pope Benedict also announced
that the next International Eucharistic Congress would take place in 2016 in the Philippines,
in Cebu city. The concluding ceremony of the 50th International Eucharistic Congress
on Sunday was divided into two parts: first, a series of performances, testimonies,
and presentations and, secondly, the celebration of Mass. In his video message the
Holy Father said, “The Eucharist is the worship of the whole Church, but it also requires
the full engagement of each individual Christian in the Church’s mission; it contains
a call to be the holy people of God, but also one to individual holiness; it is to
be celebrated with great joy and simplicity, but also as worthily and reverently as
possible; it invites us to repent of our sins, but also to forgive our brothers and
sisters; it binds us together in the Spirit, but it also commands us in the same Spirit
to bring the good news of salvation to others.” Below is the text of the Pope’s
video message:
Listen: Dear
Brothers and Sisters, With great affection in the Lord, I greet all of you
who have gathered in Dublin for the Fiftieth International Eucharistic Congress, especially
Cardinal Brady, Archbishop Martin, the clergy, religious and faithful of Ireland,
and all of you who have come from afar to support the Irish Church with your presence
and prayers. The theme of the Congress – Communion with Christ and with
One Another – leads us to reflect upon the Church as a mystery of fellowship with
the Lord and with all the members of his body. From the earliest times the notion
of koinonia or communio has been at the core of the Church’s understanding of herself,
her relationship to Christ her founder, and the sacraments she celebrates, above all
the Eucharist. Through our Baptism, we are incorporated into Christ’s death, reborn
into the great family of the brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ; through Confirmation
we receive the seal of the Holy Spirit; and by our sharing in the Eucharist, we come
into communion with Christ and each other visibly here on earth. We also receive the
pledge of eternal life to come. The Congress also occurs at a time when
the Church throughout the world is preparing to celebrate the Year of Faith to mark
the fiftieth anniversary of the start of the Second Vatican Council, an event which
launched the most extensive renewal of the Roman Rite ever known. Based upon a deepening
appreciation of the sources of the liturgy, the Council promoted the full and active
participation of the faithful in the Eucharistic sacrifice. At our distance today
from the Council Fathers’ expressed desires regarding liturgical renewal, and in the
light of the universal Church’s experience in the intervening period, it is clear
that a great deal has been achieved; but it is equally clear that there have been
many misunderstandings and irregularities. The renewal of external forms, desired
by the Council Fathers, was intended to make it easier to enter into the inner depth
of the mystery. Its true purpose was to lead people to a personal encounter with the
Lord, present in the Eucharist, and thus with the living God, so that through this
contact with Christ’s love, the love of his brothers and sisters for one another might
also grow. Yet not infrequently, the revision of liturgical forms has remained at
an external level, and “active participation” has been confused with external activity.
Hence much still remains to be done on the path of real liturgical renewal. In a changed
world, increasingly fixated on material things, we must learn to recognize anew the
mysterious presence of the Risen Lord, which alone can give breadth and depth to our
life. The Eucharist is the worship of the whole Church, but it also requires
the full engagement of each individual Christian in the Church’s mission; it contains
a call to be the holy people of God, but also one to individual holiness; it is to
be celebrated with great joy and simplicity, but also as worthily and reverently as
possible; it invites us to repent of our sins, but also to forgive our brothers and
sisters; it binds us together in the Spirit, but it also commands us in the same Spirit
to bring the good news of salvation to others. Moreover, the Eucharist is
the memorial of Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross, his body and blood given in the new
and eternal covenant for the forgiveness of sins and the transformation of the world.
Ireland has been shaped by the Mass at the deepest level for centuries, and by its
power and grace generations of monks, martyrs and missionaries have heroically lived
the faith at home and spread the Good News of God’s love and forgiveness well beyond
your shores. You are the heirs to a Church that has been a mighty force for good in
the world, and which has given a profound and enduring love of Christ and his blessed
Mother to many, many others. Your forebears in the Church in Ireland knew how to strive
for holiness and constancy in their personal lives, how to preach the joy that comes
from the Gospel, how to promote the importance of belonging to the universal Church
in communion with the See of Peter, and how to pass on a love of the faith and Christian
virtue to other generations. Our Catholic faith, imbued with a radical sense of God’s
presence, caught up in the beauty of his creation all around us, and purified through
personal penance and awareness of God’s forgiveness, is a legacy that is surely perfected
and nourished when regularly placed on the Lord’s altar at the sacrifice of the Mass.
Thankfulness and joy at such a great history of faith and love have recently been
shaken in an appalling way by the revelation of sins committed by priests and consecrated
persons against people entrusted to their care. Instead of showing them the path towards
Christ, towards God, instead of bearing witness to his goodness, they abused people
and undermined the credibility of the Church’s message. How are we to explain the
fact that people who regularly received the Lord’s body and confessed their sins in
the sacrament of Penance have offended in this way? It remains a mystery. Yet evidently,
their Christianity was no longer nourished by joyful encounter with Jesus Christ:
it had become merely a matter of habit. The work of the Council was really meant to
overcome this form of Christianity and to rediscover the faith as a deep personal
friendship with the goodness of Jesus Christ. The Eucharistic Congress has a similar
aim. Here we wish to encounter the Risen Lord. We ask him to touch us deeply. May
he who breathed on the Apostles at Easter, communicating his Spirit to them, likewise
bestow upon us his breath, the power of the Holy Spirit, and so help us to become
true witnesses to his love, witnesses to the truth. His truth is love. Christ’s love
is truth. My dear brothers and sisters, I pray that the Congress will be
for each of you a spiritually fruitful experience of communion with Christ and his
Church. At the same time, I would like to invite you to join me in praying for God’s
blessing upon the next International Eucharistic Congress, which will take place in
2016 in the city of Cebu! To the people of the Philippines I send warm greetings and
an assurance of my closeness in prayer during the period of preparation for this great
ecclesial gathering. I am confident that it will bring lasting spiritual renewal not
only to them but to all the participants from across the globe. In the meantime, I
commend everyone taking part in the present Congress to the loving protection of Mary,
Mother of God, and to Saint Patrick, the great patron of Ireland; and, as a token
of joy and peace in the Lord, I willingly impart my Apostolic Blessing.