Vatican City, Jun 9, 2004 / 22:00 pm
Pope John Paul II has declared a Year of the Eucharist for the Universal Church. It will begin with the Eucharistic Congress in Guadalajara, Mexico, in October 2004 and end with the Synod of bishops at the Vatican in October 2005. The theme of the synod will be “The Eucharist: source and summit of the life and mission of the Church."
The Pope made the announcement today, on the feast of Corpus Christi, during the mass celebrated at St. John Lateran Basilica in Rome. Following the mass, the Blessed Sacrament was carried in a procession to the basilica of St. Mary Major.
“I wanted to dedicate the first encyclical of the new millennium to the Eucharist, and I am pleased to announce to you now a special Year of the Eucharist,” he told those assembled at St. John Lateran.
“There is an intimate relationship between celebrating the Eucharist and announcing Christ,” said the Pope.