THE Eucharist is the greatest gift Christ left his Church, a gift that makes the sacrifice of his life present for all time and gives strength and hope to the world, Pope John Paul II wrote in a new encyclical letter.
The Pope said he issued the letter, his 14th encyclical, in the 25th year of his papacy as a sign of his gratitude and with the desire to share his faith in the sacrament.
The letter, Ecclesia de Eucharistia, on the Eucharist and its relationship to the Church, was published on Holy Thursday.
In the letter, the Pope reaffirmed the traditional teaching of the Church on the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist, on the need for validly ordained ministers for its celebration, and on the importance of following the Church’s liturgical norms.
Pope John Paul said he had asked the Vatican offices responsible for sacraments and for doctrine “to prepare a more specific document, including prescriptions of a juridical nature”, on the obligation to follow Church rules for the celebration of Mass and adoration of the Eucharist.
A publication date for the second document was not announced.
The 82 year-old Pope also used the encyclical to express how important the Eucharist has been in his life and to offer a reflection on the Blessed Virgin Mary, “woman of the Eucharist”.
CNS
