Pope to give homily by satellite at eucharistic congress in Quebec

By Art Babych
Catholic News Service

QUEBEC CITY (CNS) – Pope Benedict XVI will give the homily via satellite transmission from Rome at the closing Mass of the 49th International Eucharistic Congress in Quebec City.

Cardinal Marc Ouellet of Quebec, president of the planning committee for the congress, made the announcement at a news conference April 24 in Quebec. Speaking in French, the cardinal invited everyone to attend the outdoor event, which will be held on the historic Plains of Abraham, the site of a decisive battle in 1759 between British and French troops that led to the fall of Quebec.

Congress organizers hope that up to 50,000 people will attend the June 22 Mass in which the pope's homily will be transmitted in real time to giant screens.

Officials also announced that the location for the closing Mass, known as the "Statio Orbis," had been moved from the originally selected site near the Quebec Citadel, a military fortification built in the early 1800s.

Instead, it will be held farther west on the battlefield in an area where the first national eucharistic congress was held 70 years ago. The field is used for various sporting, community and recreational events.

A stone monument on the field commemorating the Canadian Eucharistic Congress bears a bronze plaque with an inscription in French and English that says: "The First National Eucharistic Congress was duly solemnized on these historic plains in June 1938 when the descendants of ancestral foes met as fraternal friends."

The Vatican announced in mid-April that the pope had appointed Slovakian Cardinal Josef Tomko to be his representative at the gathering, which will include the closing Mass, speeches and workshops on different themes related to the Eucharist, opportunities for eucharistic adoration and other Masses.

The June 15-22 International Eucharistic Congress in Quebec coincides with the 400th anniversary of the founding of Quebec City. Nearly 10,000 people have registered so far; they include about 600 from the United States.

The theme of the congress is "The Eucharist, Gift of God for the Life of the World."