Vatican City, Jan 20, 2005 / 22:00 pm
The Pope expressed his joy this morning that the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, during the Year of the Eucharist, had chosen to reflect on "various initiatives to rediscover and fully 'experience Sunday as the day of the Lord and the day of the Church'," as proposed in the Apostolic Letter "Mane nobiscum Domine."
The Holy Father received members and counselors of the commission today who are participating in their plenary session on the theme: "Sunday Mass, center of Christian life in Latin America."
"Participation in Sunday Mass," said the Pope, "is not only an important obligation, as the Catechism of the Catholic Church (no. 1389) makes quite clear, but above all a profound need of each individual faithful.”
It is not possible to experience faith without participating regularly in Sunday Mass: the sacrifice of redemption, the shared banquet of the Word of God and of the Bread of the Eucharist, heart of Christian life."