Pope says synod will be fitting close to Year of the Eucharist

Published: 2005-09-06

CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI looked ahead to the October Synod of Bishops, saying it would bring a fitting close to the Year of the Eucharist initiated by Pope John Paul II. Speaking at a noon blessing at his summer residence outside Rome Sept. 4, the pope said bishops around the world were studying the working document of the Oct. 2-23 synod, which will focus on the Eucharist. The pope asked the entire church to join in preparation for the synod, especially through prayer and reflection. He said the synod would highlight the importance of the Eucharist as "the true treasure of the church." Pope Benedict recalled that Pope John Paul convened the special year in order to rekindle "faith, wonder and love" toward the Eucharist. He said it was an attachment his predecessor lived in a special way in his final months, when "sickness made him more and more like the suffering Christ."

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