POPE John Paul II opened the Year of the Eucharist on October 17, presenting Jesus as the response to the longing for life that rises from a world threatened by shadows.
After presiding over a solemn Mass and adoring the Blessed Sacrament in a crowded St Peter’s Basilica, the Pope addressed a message via satellite to pilgrims gathered in Guadalajara, Mexico for the closing of the International Eucharistic Congress.
His message centred on the theme of the congress: “The Eucharist, Light and Life of the New Millennium”.
More than 65,000 people packed Guadalajara’s Jalisco Stadium for the noon address, many waving white banners and handkerchiefs throughout the event, which was broadcast via the Internet.
Thirty-five cardinals, including Cardinal Goerge Pell of Sydney, and some 250 bishops attended the congress, along with hundreds of priests from around the world gathered for a full week of prayer and discussion aimed at bolstering devotion to the Eucharist.
The next International Eucharistic Congress will be held in Quebec, Canada in 2008.
The Year of the Eucharist will end in October 2005 with a synod of the world’s bishops to be held at the Vatican.
