BISHOPS from around the world will gather in Rome on October 2 for a Synod of Bishops on the Eucharist, an assembly that will review liturgical issues, emphasise the importance of Sunday Mass and mark the close of the Year of the Eucharist.
More than 250 bishops will attend the October 2-23 synod to discuss the theme, “The Eucharist: Source and Summit of the Life and Mission of the Church”.
Earlier this year, Pope Benedict XVI shortened the assembly and changed the format to include more group discussion and less speech-giving in response to longstanding criticism of the synod process.
The synod will take an in-depth look at many pastoral aspects of the Eucharist, then formulate conclusions that are passed on to the Pope for possible use in a later document.
The synod’s function has always been advisory, and many observers will be watching to see if the new Pope expands that role or gives the synod additional responsibilities.
Pope John Paul II announced the synod on the Eucharist several months before his death.
Pope Benedict has embraced the event, saying it will serve to highlight the Eucharist as “the true treasure of the Church”.
The potential topics of conversation are many and varied, ranging from liturgical abuses to the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist.
Some bishops are expected to zero in on particular pastoral problems, such as the local shortages of priests to celebrate Sunday Mass or the Church’s policy against reception of Communion by Catholics who have divorced and civilly remarried without an annulment.
The key problem, according to the synod’s working document, is that Catholics have a diminishing awareness of the obligation and benefits of attending Mass and receiving the Eucharist every Sunday.
CNS
