Catholic World News News Feature
Eucharist calls for Christian unity, Pope says May 30, 2005
Speaking at Italy's national Eucharistic Congress in Bari, Pope Benedict XVI said that Catholics must constantly be nourished by the Eucharist to live their faith in a world "often marked by unbridled consumerism, by religious indifference and by a secularism closed to all forms of transcendence."
Reflecting on necessity of maintaining communion within the Church, the Pope also stressed the moral imperative to restore full unity among Christians, and renewed his commitment to ecumenical work.
An estimated 180,000 people attended the closing ceremonies of the Eucharistic Congress, held at a seaside esplanade in Bari on Sunday, May 29. In the first apostolic trip of his pontificate, Pope Benedict flew to Bari by helicopter, and remained after the Mass to lead the Angelus before returning to Rome.
The Pope began his homily by recalling that in the early 4th century, Christians defied an imperial ban on the Sunday celebration of the Eucharist, because they believed that their act of worship was essential to their interior life. Today, in an often hostile environment, Christians should make the same realization, he said.
The Pontiff went on to say that Jesus, whom Christians encounter in the Eucharist, is indivisible. "This means we can encounter Him only together with everyone else," he reasoned. "We can only receive Him in unity." He added that "we cannot communicate with the Lord if we do not communicate with one another."
Pope Benedict noted regretfully that "it is precisely in the sacrament of unity that Christians are divided." He noted that the remains of St. Nicholas, a cherished patron of the Eastern churches, lie buried in Bari, and he said that in his appearance there he wished to "reiterate my fundamental commitment to work with all my strength to rebuilding the full and visible unity of all Christ's followers."
The closing Mass of the Eucharistic Congress included a clear gesture of unity; after the Gospel was read in Italian, it was also chanted in Greek by an Orthodox cleric who was invited to participate in the ceremony.
Pope Benedict was warmly greeted when he arrived at the Marisabella esplanade at about 9:30, and interrupted several times by applause during his homily. The closing Mass began at 10, and ended shortly before noon. The Pope then offered his thanks to all the organizers and participants in the Eucharistic Congress, before closing with the Angelus and returning by car to the soccer stadium where his helicopter was waiting.
Italian officials took extra security precautions around Bari before the papal visit, and army helicopters circled throughout the ceremony, while patrol boats stood just offshore. For the first time, members of the Swiss Guard were present, in uniform, outside the Vatican. They will accompany Pope Benedict regularly on his future trips, Vatican officials have indicated.
