Pope says eucharistic year synod should increase devotion, unity

Published: 2004-11-16

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The Catholic Church's celebration of the Year of the Eucharist and a gathering of the world Synod of Bishops also focused on the Eucharist should lead to increased devotion, church unity and acts of charity, Pope John Paul II said. "The church draws from the Eucharist the vital energies needed for its presence and its activity in human history," the pope said Nov. 16 in a message to cardinals and bishops involved in planning the October 2005 synod. In marking the Year of the Eucharist and in preparing for the synod, he said, the universal church and the members of the synod are focused on the same things: increasing Catholics' understanding of the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist; experiencing the Eucharist as a sign of and support for the unity of the church; and recognizing that the love of Christ celebrated at Mass must be continued in the world through acts of charity.

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