John Paul II 'preparing encyclical on the Eucharist'

BY LUKE COPPEN
Pow July PAUL II is preparing an encyclical on the Eucharist, an Italian news agency has claimed.
The agency, ANSA, said the encyclical, which could be published before the end of this year, will underline the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. It will also say that the celebration of the Sacrament is not simply a way to remember the Last Supper, but also makes the sacrifice of Christ present again.
While Vatican officials would not confirm reports that the Pope is preparing the new encyclical, the Vatican newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano, published a major article on the Eucharist the day after the report.
The article, written by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, prefect of the Congregation for BIshops and a key aide to John Paul II, said that the doctrine of the Real Presence was not "a superstitious suggestion or mythical fantasy — it is reality".
"Christ is alive and, hidden in the sacramental sign, is truly present," it said.
A papal encyclical on the Eucharist would be seen as a response to the waning of faith in the Real Presence in some parts of the Catholic world.
Shortly before his death, Cardinal Basil Hume expressed concern about the casual attitude to the Eucharist among British Catholics. "Communion in the hand, moving the Blessed Sacrament from the High Altar, failure to genuflect have, in my experience, weakened the respect and devotion due to so Photo: CNS _great a Sacrament," he said.