One thousand two hundred million Catholics from five continents are watching us in the coming days, during the 52nd International Eucharistic Congress, said Cardinal Péter Erdő, Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest, in Kossuth Rádió's Sunday Newspaper program.
The cardinal emphasized that the meeting not only attracted the attention of Catholics, but in the past period he has seen that "there is a positive, ecumenical interest" in the congress in Hungary and the surrounding countries.
The other denominations are not looking at the difference in faith, but at the fact that "there is a big Christian meeting" in Budapest.
He noted: moreover, with the Eastern Christians, "we agree with regard to the Eucharist, so we have a common faith", so "there is a real basis for celebrating it together".
Péter Erdő said: a total of more than 200,000 people registered for the various programs, but you can participate in the most important events without registration. The biggest event is the closing Mass, which will be led by Pope Francis, for which more than 75,000 believers have registered, and several groups have indicated that they will come to the Mass without registration, he added.
The cardinal also spoke about: the participation of Pope Francis in the closing Mass, the statio orb, has a very strong symbolic message. The role of the so-called station masses in the past, for example in the city of Rome, was that on certain special days no mass was held in the city's churches. There was only one mass, presented by the bishop of the city, attended by all the clergy and all the faithful. This is how they expressed that "around Christ's table we all form a single community," he explained.
Péter Erdő added that the statio orbis for the world, which is led by the Pope, visibly and powerfully symbolizes and makes the church's togetherness feel like an experience.
The 52nd International Eucharistic Congress begins on Sunday afternoon in Budapest. Next Sunday, September 12, Pope Francis will present the closing mass of the Catholic world event in Hősök square.
Hungary will host the event for the second time after 1938. The congress originally planned for 2020 had to be postponed by a year due to the coronavirus epidemic.
The aim of the world event, which features lectures, masses, adorations, processions and many other spiritual and cultural programs, is to deepen knowledge and respect for the Eucharist.
MTI
Opening image: The stage set up in front of the Basilica of St. Stephen on the day before the opening of the International Eucharistic Congress, September 4, 2021. MTI/Zsolt Szigetváry
