AUDIENCE: THE EUCHARIST SACRAMENT OF UNITY

VATICAN CITY, NOV 8, 2000 (VIS) - In today's general audience which was held in St. Peter's Square, John Paul II spoke on "The Eucharist: Sacrament of unity."

"The Eucharist," said the Pope, "is the Sacrament and source of ecclesial unity." As St. Paul says: "Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread."

The Holy Father recalled that the "Catechism of the Catholic Church effectively condenses this idea: 'Those who receive the Eucharist are united more closely to Christ. Through it Christ unites them to all the faithful in one body - the Church."

St. Paul, he continued, speaks of "'koinonia,' in other words of the communion that comes about between the faithful and Christ in the Eucharist. ... This communion is more precisely described in the Gospel of St. John as a special relationship of mutual indwelling: 'He in me and I in Him'."

The Pope went on: "This communion-koinonia - 'vertical' in nature because it unites us to the divine mystery - generates, at the same time, a communion-koinonia that we may call 'horizontal,' in other words ecclesial and fraternal, capable of uniting in a bond of love all participants at the same banquet."

The Holy Father concluded his catechesis by highlighting that "the deep significance of the Eucharist is denied when it is celebrated without taking the requirements of charity and of communion into account."

Among his greetings to pilgrims, the Pope addressed a group of Polish scouts and guides, telling them that their presence reminded him of earlier meetings with scouts and guides around the campfire. He asked them to share with their peers "your joy and enthusiasm. Be witnesses of a positive approach to life that has its roots in a love for nature and for the works of creation, and especially in interior purity and the nobility of intentions. The world today has need of your witness."

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