VATICAN CITY, JUN 12, 2005 (VIS) - Pope Benedict announced to the faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square for the Angelus today that on October 15 he will hold a catechesis encounter in the Vatican with children who made their First Communion this year, especially children from Rome and the region of Lazio.
Noting that this event will occur during the Synod of Bishops and just before the conclusion of the Year of the Eucharist, the Pope said he wished to underline the importance of this sacrament and also of families attending Sunday Mass together. "This will be a fitting and beautiful occasion to repeat the essential role that the sacrament of the Eucharist plays in the formation and spiritual growth of children."
The Holy Father pointed out that the Year of the Eucharist was "desired by our beloved Pope John Paul II to re-awaken ever more in the conscience of believers the sense of stupor towards this great sacrament. In this singular Eucharistic time, one of the recurring themes is Sunday, the Lord's Day, a theme also at the center of the recent Italian Eucharistic Congress in Bari" where "I underscored how participation in Sunday Mass must never be felt as an imposition or weight, but rather as a need and a joy. ... We Christians cannot live without Sundays."
Following the Angelus Benedict XVI greeted "blood donors from throughout the world, especially those present today in St. Peter's Square who have come for World Day for Blood Donors which occurs the day after tomorrow. Dear brothers and sisters, I know you participated in Mass presided by Cardinal Lozano Barragan, president of the Pontifical Council for Health. May Christ, Who redeemed us with His blood, always be the model for your volunteer work."
ANG/EUCHARIST/... VIS 20050613 (300)
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