The 53rd International Eucharistic Congress will be held in Quito (Ecuador) in September. It will follow the one held in Budapest in 2021, which was attended by Pope Francis.
The objective of the convocation of these congresses, and the experience proven throughout their history, is to contribute to the strengthening of Eucharistic devotion throughout the Church, in the Catholic conviction that the Eucharist, the first among the sacraments, is a source of supernatural life and of human fraternity. In each of the convocations, the emphasis has been placed on the needs perceived at each moment.
At the same time, the most immediate fruit is naturally produced for the benefit of the particular Church that organizes it and where it is held. In this sense, one can immediately sense the repercussions that the International Congress next September can have for Ecuador, the host country, which is currently in a very difficult situation, caused by the open confrontation that groups linked to drug trafficking have posed to the institutions.
The motto of the Congress is "Fraternity to heal the world"; although it was established before the latest social events and is not reduced to that key, it undoubtedly encompasses the need that the country has for peaceful and fraternal coexistence.
The prayer prepared and disseminated in the country as an aid for the spiritual preparation of the Congress comes to gather this hope, expressed in the form of a petition to God: "You who gather us around your table to feed us with your Body, grant that, overcoming all division, hatred and selfishness, we may be united as true brothers, children of the heavenly Father.".
Monsignor Alfredo Espinoza, Archbishop of Quito, capital of Ecuador, and pastor of the diocese that is the main organizer of the Congress, gave an interview to Omnes in which he explains the state of the preparations and the expectations for the host country.
Almost in parallel, we are witnessing a delicate situation that has arisen in recent years in the Syro-Malabar Church (established in Kerala, India) precisely around the celebration of the Eucharist at Mass.
It is obvious that the problems and their context are very different, but in view of the seriousness of the information on the attitude of some of the priests of this rite, the petition included in the prayer of the Eucharistic Congress seems to be equally necessary. "Send us your Spirit of love, so that, seeking ways of fraternity, peace, dialogue and forgiveness, we may collaborate to heal the wounds of the world."
As reported in the pages of this issue, the resistance of a group of the clergy of the archieparchy of Ernakulam-Angamaly to accept the decisions of the Synod of 2021, which wanted to harmonize the way of celebrating Mass in the various zones, emphasizes that we are dealing not only with an issue of liturgical order, but also of obedience and unity.
