SW News:

Two years after Pew Research Centre found that just one-third of US Catholics (31%) believe in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist, the nation’s Catholic bishops have unitedly come forward to reanimate devotion towards the Blessed Sacrament. During the annual Fall General Assembly of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops in Baltimore from November 15-18, the prelates voted in favor of the much-awaited document on the Eucharist entitled “The Mystery of the Eucharist in the Life of the Church”. They have also announced a three-year Revival Project that begins in 2022. 

During the vote on Wednesday, 222 bishops cast their ballots in favor of the document while eight voted against and three abstained. The document clearly explains the indispensable role of the Holy Eucharist in the life of the Church. The 30-page document is divided into two parts - “The Gift” and “Our Response.” While “The Gift” focuses on theological aspects of the Holy Eucharist as a gift from God through His incarnation, death and resurrection. “Our Response” underscores the faithful’s response to ‘the gift’. 

To revive devotion towards the Blessed Sacrament in the country, the bishops have come out with a Eucharistic Revival Project that will start on June 19, the feast of Corpus Christi, next year. It will begin with Eucharistic processions in all dioceses. During the first phase, Blessed Carlo Acutis will be the patron of the project. 

During the second year, the focus will be on parish renewal. In the third year, the campaign will culminate with the National Eucharistic Congress at Indianapolis in 2024. It is after almost 50 years that the US Church is hosting such a Congress. 
Announcing the campaign on Wednesday, Bishop Andrew H. Cozzens, chairman of the USCCB Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis, said that the organizing committee would launch a website, EucharisticRevival.org. In addition, to revive faith in the real presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist, the Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis will also be sending 50 priests as Eucharistic preachers to dioceses across the country. Materials for catechesis on the Eucharist will also be prepared. 

Contrary to expectations, the document on the Eucharist doesn’t directly name any Catholic politicians or public figures who support abortion and rebuke them for receiving the Eucharist. But the text clearly explains Catholic teachings on mortal and venial sins and underlines that Catholics in a state of mortal sin should only receive the Eucharist after they make a good Confession and receive absolution.