EUROPE/ITALY - Benedict XVI closes 24th Italian National Eucharistic Congress: “The one and the same Christ is present in the Eucharistic Bread everywhere in the world. This means we cannot encounter him alone without all the others. We can only receive him in unity. The consequence is clear: we cannot communicate with the Lord unless we communicate among ourselves”

Bari (Fides Service) - “I wanted to be here with you today to celebrate with particular emphasis the Solemnity of Corpus Christi and so pay homage to Christ in the Sacrament of his love and at the same time to strengthen the bonds of communion between myself and the Church and the Bishops in Italy.” With these words Pope Benedict XVI opened his homily on Sunday 29 May in Bari on the Adriatic coast of Italy where he went on his first apostolic visit outside Rome to presided Mass for the closing of the 24th Italian National Eucharistic Congress with the theme: "We cannot live without Sunday ".
“The aim of this Eucharistic Congress was to re-present Sunday as "the weekly Easter ", the expression of the identity of the Christian community and centre of its life and mission” the Pope said in his homily recalling the heroic witness of the 49 martyrs in Abitene who faced death rather than renouncing the celebration of the Lord’s Day. “This was an experience on which we Christians of the twenty first century are called to reflect. For us too it is not easy to live as Christians”. We Christians of today also need the Bread of the Eucharist to face the fatigue and tiredness of our journey: “Sunday, the Lord’s Day is an opportune occasion to draw strength from the One who is the Lord of life. This festive precept is not simply a duty imposed from outside. Every Christian needs to take part in the Sunday celebration of the Eucharist and eat the Bread of the Eucharist from which to draw the necessary energy for the journey ahead”.
The Lord never leaves us alone on our journey: “In the Eucharist Christ is truly present among us. His presence is not static. It is dynamic, and he takes hold of us to make us his and to make us like him.” Another aspect of the Eucharist underlined by the Pope was relations with others: “The Christ we encounter in the Sacrament is the same here in Bari, in Rome, in Europe, in America, in Asia, in Oceania. He is the one and the same Christ present in the Eucharistic Bread in every corner of the earth. This means we can only encounter Him together with everyone else. We can receive him only in unity … Sad to say Christians today are divided, precisely in the sacrament of unity. All the more, sustained by the Eucharist, we should feel compelled to strive with all our energy towards that full unity so ardently desired by Christ in the Upper Room.”
The Pope reaffirmed his determination to “undertake the fundamental task of working with all my strength to rebuild full and visible unity of all believers in Jesus Christ” and to reach this goal “there must be concrete gestures which touch hearts and move minds, leading each individual to that inward conversion which is the condition for all progress on the path of ecumenism”. Benedict XVI urged all Christians to “step out with determination on the path of that spiritual ecumenism which through prayer opens the doors to the Holy Spirit who alone can create unity”. Lastly the Holy Father encouraged those present to “rediscover the joy of Christian Sunday” and the “privilege of being able to take part in the Eucharist” . The Pope said he wished that Christians today may become again aware of the “decisive importance of the Sunday Celebration and draw from their participation in the Eucharist the necessary impulse for a new proclamation to the world of Christ "our peace".” (S.L.) (Agenzia Fides 30/5/2005, righe 37, parole 574)