Taiwan Catholics urged to evangelize

Cardinal Filoni says a Eucharistic Congress is not complete without a missionary spirit.

Chiayi :  Some 10,000 Catholics attending the Fourth Taiwan Eucharistic Congress have been encouraged by Cardinal Fernando Filoni to draw on graces of the Holy Sacrament when evangelizing.

In a homily, the prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples said his presence at the March 1 event was as a special envoy of Pope Francis.

Cardinal Filoni stressed that evangelization was not only entrusted to missionaries but to every bishop, priest, religious and lay person, including children.

A Church with no enthusiasm for preaching the Gospel would bear no fruit, he added.

The cardinal requested those present to invite others so that at the next such congress the attendance would grow to 30,000.

Taking place at a sports stadium at Chiayi's Yunlin county in western Taiwan, this year's congress adopted the theme "In You is the Source of All Our Blessings!" from the 52nd International Eucharistic Congress to take place in Hungary in 2020.

The day coincided with the 11th anniversary of the installation of Bishop Thomas Chung An-zu of the organizing diocese of Chiayi.

Chiayi Diocese began preparations three years ago, including with a series of lectures, showcasing of historic churches and various spiritual formation programs.

Bishop Chung, who organizes Taiwan Youth Day every year, invited young Catholics to take part in the congress by assisting with crowd control and stage performances.

Another highlight of the congress was the launch of a Chinese-language version of the mobile app Click to Pray, previously released using various European languages.

Jesuit Father Frédéric Fornos, international director of the pope's Worldwide Prayer Network, formerly known as the Apostleship of Prayer, appeared on stage and cited the importance Pope Francis places on prayer.

"When we don’t pray, our hearts become suffocated," Father Fornos said.

Source: UCAN