Here is the roundup of stories about the International Eucharistic Congress that came out in local news publications today, January 25, 2016:
Papal representative calls for “world war” against poverty and cruelty
Papal legate Charles Maung Cardinal Bo, the Archbishop of Yangon, called on participants of the 51st International Eucharistic Congress, to reach out to the poor.
Bo, who also spoke a few lines in Cebuano, told participants of the IEC to go beyond the pavilion, saying widespread “malnutrition and starvation in the world is mass genocide.”
“This calls for a commitment to a world of justice. The Eucharist calls for a third world war, a third world war against poverty…a third world war against a world that produces more weapons while more than half a billion doesn’t have enough food.”
– Charles Maung Cardinal Bo, Archibishop of Yangon
Read: CBPC News: Bo tells Filipinos: God gave you a nation of unparalleled beauty
IEC shows Catholic Church is church for all
A PRIEST joining the 51st IEC says the gathering proves the Catholic church is the church for all people.
The 51st IEC, which opened with a mass on Sunday at Plaza Independencia, has delegates from 71 countries.
“These people are coming from all over. It is a manifestation of the universality of the Church and how the Eucharist really brings us together in a very concrete manner.”
Fr. Gerard Francisco P. Timoner III on CBPC News.
Read: IEC proves Church is for all
350,000 attend opening mass
Officials put the crowd in the opening mass of the IEC at 350,000, though most stayed almost half a kilometer from the venue due to the crowd. Charles Maung Cardinal Bo of Myanmar, the papal legate, told participants that Pope Francis holds them in high regard.
“Pope Francis loves you very much. Ang atong Santo Padre gihigugma kamo’ng tanan. Kayo’ng lahat ay mahal na mahal ng Santo Padre.”
Read: Sun.Star Cebu: IEC crowd stretches for hundreds of meters
