Vatican City (Fides Service) - The Holy Father, Pope John Paul II has appointed the Presidents, Relator and Secretary for the 11th Assembly of the Synod of Bishops to be held in the Vatican October 2 to 29 2005, on the theme “The Eucharist: source and summit of the life and mission of the Church”.
The Delegate Presidents are African born Cardinal Francis Arinze, Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments; Mexican Cardinal Juan Sandoval Íñiguez, Archbishop of Guadalajara; Indian Cardinal Telesphore Placidus Toppo Archbishop of Ranchi, India. The Relator General is Cardinal Angelo Scola, Patriarch of Venice Italy, and the Special Secretary is Archbishop Roland Minnerath of Dijon, France.
This assembly of the Synod of Bishops will conclude the Year of the Eucharist October 2004 to October 2005, as the Pope said in his Apostolic Letter announcing this special year Mane nobiscum Domine: “The idea for this celebration came from two events which will serve to mark its beginning and end: the International Eucharistic Congress, which will take place from 10-17 October 2004 in Guadalajara, Mexico, and the Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, which will be held in the Vatican from 2-29 October 2005 on the theme: “The Eucharist: Source and Summit of the Life and Mission of the Church. I was also guided by another consideration: this year's World Youth Day will take place in Cologne from 16-21 August 2005. I would like the young people to gather around the Eucharist as the vital source which nourishes their faith and enthusiasm. A Eucharistic initiative of this kind had been on my mind for some time: it is a natural development of the pastoral impulse which I wanted to give to the Church, particularly during the years of preparation for the Jubilee and in the years that followed it.” (n.4). (S.L.) (Agenzia Fides 14/3/2005; Righe 17; Parole 216)