Pope to meet with first communicants to close eucharistic year

Published: 2005-06-13

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI is inviting young first communicants to the Vatican in October to help him close the Year of the Eucharist. Speaking at a noon blessing June 12, the pope said he wanted to hold a "special encounter of catechesis" with children who received their first Communion in 2005, in order to highlight the role of the Eucharist in the spiritual growth of young people. Children from Rome and the surrounding region are especially invited to take part in the meeting, he said. He set the encounter for Oct. 15, a date that falls during a Synod of Bishops on the Eucharist, which will close the special year. The Year of the Eucharist was convoked by Pope John Paul II to underline the transforming power of the Eucharist and its place at the center of every Christian's life.

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