2012 Congress is launched in Rome

It was wet and overcast in Rome this past week, but Irish eyes were smiling all the same, when Pope Benedict XVI welcomed a group of national delegates from 70 countries around the world, who were gathered in Rome for the plenary session of the Pontifical Committee for International Eucharistic Congresses, the Vatican office which guides and supports the planning of Eucharistic Congresses, both local and international.

In the course of his address given in the beautiful Sala Clementina, Pope Benedict explained that the task of Eucharistic Congresses, especially at the current time, includes that of making a special contribution to new evangelisation. 

He remarked that it was exactly 50 years since the Eucharistic Congress was held in Munich in which he participated as a young theologian; a Congress which ''marked a turning point in understanding these ecclesial events.''

He went on to remind those present that our Congress in 2012 will also have the ''character of a jubilee'' as it will mark the 50th anniversary of the inauguration of the Second Vatican Council, which provided such a powerful impetus for renewal in the life of the universal Church. 

The Pope went on to say that the theme of the 2012 Congress, ''recalls the centrality of the Eucharistic Mystery for the growth of the life of faith and every authentic process of Church renewal''. 

He explained that the 2012 Congress is intended to be part of the modernisation programme of the Church in Ireland.

Delegation

The small Irish delegation, led by Archbishop Diarmuid Martin, had the particular privilege of being invited to come forward personally to meet the Holy Father. 

The predominantly lay delegation included Anne Griffin (General Manager for the Congress), Barbara Gilroy (responsible for special events), Gerard Gallagher (responsible for pastoral and liturgical preparation) as well as myself.

Pope Benedict was presented with a collection of artifacts from the 1932 Congress.

In this way Dublin and Ireland, while accepting the responsibility for the next Congress, symbolically entrusted the heritage of 1932 to the Holy Father. 

Martin Barlow, the designer of the Congress logo, accompanied by his wife Ursula, also had the opportunity to present a copy of the Logo to Pope Benedict.

Just before the audience with the Pope, Cardinal Peter Turkson, President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace presided at the celebration of Mass at the Altar of the Chair of Peter, beneath the beautiful window depicting the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

He reminded us that, just as Jesus' gift of self is at the heart of the meaning of Eucharist, so the Eucharist should inspire us in the gift of ourselves for others in Christ's name.

Progress report

Participants at the three-day conference included Venezuelans, Canadians, Taiwanese, Zimbabwians and Zambians, as well as people from all over Europe and from the Middle-East, who had come to Rome to participate in this meeting. 

It was encouraging to hear so many of them say that they hoped to lead a group of pilgrims to the Congress in 2012.

Almost one entire day of the meeting was given over to a progress report by the Irish delegation. 

The Congress theological document 'Pastoral and Theological reflections for the 50th International Eucharistic Congress' was presented by Archbishop Martin, who gave the delegates some insights into the particular challenges facing the Church and Irish society in general at this time. 

Alongside this the delegates were introduced to the four-stage programme of pastoral preparation for the Congress, and invited to join the Irish Church on the journey of preparation.

Further details of the pastoral programme are available in the e-Congress newsletter www.iec2012.ie/e-Congress.html

Congress hymn

The new Congress hymn, composed by contemporary Irish composer Bernard Sexton had its first public airing at the Rome meeting and was very well received, with many delegates suggesting that it could become a classic. 

The hymn, together with the Congress prayer (in seven languages) and a new promotional DVD were also presented. 

These can all be found on the multimedia page of the Congress web site.

Theme

All of the pastoral resources prepared to date are intended to give expression to the Congress theme 'The Eucharist: Communion with Christ and with one another.' Communion is a relationship of mutual love and self-giving, rooted in relationship with Jesus Christ who gave himself for us. 

Speaking about his hopes for the Congress, Archbishop Diarmuid Martin said: ''It is an important event for the Church in Ireland; an important event for the Church around the world. If you look at the Acts of the Apostles when they describe the early Christian community, they always begin 'they gathered', and out of that sense of gathering there came a particular lifestyle which is a lifestyle of communion, of sharing.

We would like to have a Eucharistic Congress which is one very much of our times, but also which will make us critically examine some of the things about our times and try and see what a Church of Communion would mean in its relationship with people within the Church and its relationship with the wider society in which we live.''

The keynote address at the delegate conference was give by Dominican theologian Hervé Legrand, who teaches theology at the Institut Catholique de Paris. 

Prof. Legrand reminded the delegates of the teaching of St Paul that, ''because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.'' 

St Paul was scandalised by the fact that the Church at Corinth was characterised by cliques and even by an unwillingness to share food. These divisions contradicted their communion as the one body of Christ.

Prof. Legrand suggested that one of the tasks of the Eucharistic Congress in our own time is to reflect in action the meaning of our being one body. 

The liturgy can never be a purely private thing and the Congress liturgies should clearly express the meaning of assembly and facilitate active participation of all who are present. 

Likewise, he suggested, the meaning of communion can be reflected in the way in which we, the local Church, offer hospitality to those who come to join us for the Congress.

Congress bell

Prof. Legrand is not the only Dominican connection with the forthcoming Eucharistic Congress.

The Congress symbol is a bell, which has it's origins in the Dominican C onvent Portstewart, Co. Antrim and was more recently used to ring in the Jubilee Year 2000 in Glendalough, Co. Wicklow. 

This bell, which has already had one outing at the ecumenical tent at the National Ploughing Championships, will be carried all over Ireland on a purpose-built frame, as a symbol of the call to faith, to prayer, to conversion and to mission, which is part of the agenda of the Congress.

There will be more about the pilgrimage of the bell in a future article.

Quebec

The last international Eucharistic Congress took place in Quebec in 2008 and the Quebec team has been very helpful to us in our preparations for 2012. 

This week Sr Doris Lamontagne, deputy secretary general of the Quebec Congress, is in Dublin to meet and share insights with staff and committee members preparing for the Irish Congress.

SIC: IC/IE