Vatican City, Oct 6, 2004 / 22:00 pm
The three-day international theological- pastoral symposium on the Eucharist, focusing on Pope John Paul II’s encyclical "Ecclesia de Eucharistia," began yesterday in Guadalajara, Mexico.The symposium precedes the 48th International Eucharistic Congress which will be held from October 10-17.
Yesterday there were presentations on the Sense of Faith in the Eucharist on five continents by Cardinals Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson, archbishop of Cape Coast, Ghana (Africa); Bernard Law, emeritus of Boston, U.S.A. (America); Carlos Amigo Vallejo, O.F.M., archbishop of Seville, Spain (Europe); George Pell, archbishop of Sydney, Australia (Oceania), and by Archbishop Carmelo D.F. Morelos of Zamboanga, the Philippines (Asia); There was also a general overview and discussion of the papal encyclical.
Scheduled for today are talks on the Eucharist, Mystery of Faith, the Apostolicity of the Eucharist and the Church and Eucharist and Ecclesial Communion. On the program for Friday, October 8 are talks on Decorum of the Eucharistic Celebration and At the School of Mary, Eucharistic Woman. Each day of the symposium starts with a celebration of the Eucharist.
The symposium is presided over by Cardinals Juan Sandoval Iniguez, archbishop of Guadalajara, and Jozef Tomko, president of the Pontifical Committee for International Eucharistic Congresses and the Holy Father's special envoy to the events in Mexico.