Cardinals, bishops to be among Americans at eucharistic congress

Published: 2008-05-07

QUEBEC CITY (CNS) -- About 40 cardinals and bishops from the United States are among the nearly 500 Americans who have registered for the 49th International Eucharistic Congress in Quebec City June 15-22. Not surprisingly, said Msgr. Jean Picher, secretary-general of the congress, most that have signed up are from the northeastern United States, an area geographically close to Quebec. He said in an interview in late April that many of them also have ancestral links to Quebec, founded 400 years ago by Samuel de Champlain and known as "the cradle of French civilization in America. I think this number could easily double in the next few weeks because it's so easy to travel from the United States to Canada," said Msgr. Picher. "And we would like very much to have American Catholics share their religious experience with us." Archbishop Donald W. Wuerl of Washington will be the first speaker at the opening plenary session the first full day of the congress, June 16.

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