Scottish Catholic Observer

Celebrating the value and central role of Communion in marriage and family life in the Church was the central theme of the 50th International Eucharistic Congress (IEC2012) on Tuesday June 12 2012.

Commencing Morning Prayer, Cardinal Keith O’Brien, Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh, Scotland, prayed with hundreds of pilgrims in the Congress Prayer Space at 9am and delivered a catechesis.

Throughout the day a series of workshops were held on various subjects to do with the Sacrament of Matrimony which all Eucharistic Congress participants were invited to attend.

Among a series of popular workshops, talks, youth events and exhibitions, pilgrims had an opportunity to hear Archbishop of Manila, Philippines, Luis Antonio G Tagle present a talk entitled The Abuse of Children: Accepting Responsibility, Bringing Healing. Archbishop Tagle spoke about clergy sexual misconduct with some reflections from Asia.

“The so-called crisis of the clergy unfolding these past years is immense in scope,” Archbishop Tagle said. “It includes allegations of sexual misconduct, suspicions about the clergy’s handling of money, accusations of misuse of authority, inappropriate lifestyle and a host of other things. The faithful are appalled at the rudeness of their pastors.”

“At first glance, this crisis seems to be about explicitly sexual behaviour only. But a closer look at the actual cases reveals that deep theological, spiritual, anthropological and pastoral issues are involved. That is why the impressionist way by which some people tackle the problem is quite inadequate and even unfair,” he added.

The Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus, Carl Anderson, gave a personal testimony as a husband and father on the Eucharist and faith in his life, at the main RDS arena. He explained that ‘too often the cultural commentary about marriage—especially found in defense of divorce—suggests marriage and family is risky because one’s commitment and contribution may not ‘pay off’—that there may not be an adequate return on one’s investment in the marriage.’

“And yet, our sacrifices are put in perspective at every Mass when we say: “Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof. What a dramatic expression of Christ’s love for us!” Mr Anderson added.

Teacher and columnist Breda O’Brien who delivered a personal testimony on marriage and family life then followed this testimony.

“In our family, the kitchen table is very important,” she said. “The moment when each child left the highchair and joined the rest of us was a great moment. It is there that we learn to listen, and to forgive and be forgiven. It is there that we are nourished, body and soul. It is there that we learn to be thankful, and to give thanks for all we have. In that way, it is the place where we first learn the meaning of Eucharist, of Christ present in our midst.  If we want to re-learn the value of the Eucharist, perhaps we also need to re-learn the value of the kitchen table and the family meal.”

There was an increasing congregation of bishops and priests and lay people at the afternoon Mass on Tuesday. The weather was fairly good but with brief light showers during Mass. As a personal reflection, Cardinal O’Brien was happy to see among the very many concelebrants Bishop Joseph Toal of the Diocese of Argyll and the Isles and Bishop Arthur Roche of the Diocese of Leeds.

The principal concelebrant for the Mass was Cardinal André Vingt-Trois, the Archbishop of Paris. With the theme for today being ‘Marriage and Communion, Cardinal Vingt-Trois spoke loudly and clearly emphasising the importance of family life in all of our societies at this present time and emphasising too the importance of proper preparation for celebrating the Sacrament of Matrimony.

Another significant moment today was when Archbishop Martin of Dublin and the Congress President—at the beginning of the Mass—announced that Cardinal Ouellet, the Papal Legate, would not be in Dublin Tuesday or Wednesday because he had decided to go on Pilgrimage to Lough Derg in reparation for the clerical abuse of minors which took place in Ireland over many years. He will be back to the congress late on today.

— Auxiliary Bishop Stephen Robson is the Bishops’ Conference of Scotland’s national delegate for the 50th International Eucharistic Congress. He was ordained Auxiliary Bishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh on June 9 2012 before heading to IEC 2012.