HONG KONG (Agencies): John Cardinal Tong Hon, retired bishop of Hong Kong, presided at the closing Mass of the 5th Eucharistic Congress of Taiwan in Kaohsiung Exhibition Centre on October 5, emphasising the theme of love and unity, urging attendees to deepen their devotion to the Eucharist.
Cardinal Tong was appointed by Pope Francis on August 3 as his special envoy to the event.
Themed “Fraternity Heals All”, the congress was organised by the Diocese of Kaohsiung and held in connection with the 53rd International Eucharistic Congress held in Quito, Ecuador, in September.
Archbishop Peter Lau Cheng-chung of Kaohsiung, said in his opening address that the diocese has spent a year and a half preparing, meeting over 20 times. He expressed gratitude to the organising committee and venue committee for their preparation work before the event and braving the bad weather brought by Typhoon Krathon in early October.
The congress started with an opening procession with the relic of Blessed Carlo Acutis, and featured a variety of events, including a Eucharistic procession, performances, catechetical teaching, and an awarding ceremony of its theme song competition. The centre also hosted a large exhibition exploring Eucharistic miracles, created and designed by Blessed Carlo Acutis.
The fifth Eucharistic Congress in Taiwan culminated in a grand closing Mass celebrated by Cardinal Tong, with over 300 cardinals and priests concelebrating. It was supported by a 300-member choir, and hundreds of volunteers.
At the beginning of the Mass, an apostolic blessing from Pope Francis was read out by Monsignor Stefano Mazzotti, the pro-chargé d’affairs of the Apostolic Nunciature to China, in Taipei, Taiwan.
In his homily, Cardinal Tong highlighted Pope Francis’ message of fostering brotherhood and reconciliation to heal the world and the importance of the Eucharist in the call to be instruments of humility, forgiveness, and peace, guided by the Holy Spirit.
“In his letter to me, Pope Francis expects to expound, in the light of the gospel, the necessity of true fraternity for the healing of the world. Through reverence and love for the Eucharist, the clergy, sisters, brothers and the faithful can nourish and help others to deepen their devotion and dedication to Jesus, so that God can be with us every day until the end of this world [Mathew 28:20],” the cardinal said.
He also urged those present to live out the highest principle of Christian love: to love one’s enemies and those who persecute them.
Cardinal Tong highlighted Pope Francis’ message of fostering brotherhood and reconciliation to heal the world and the importance of the Eucharist in the call to be instruments of humility, forgiveness, and peace, guided by the Holy Spirit
In a letter dated August 15, the pope asked Cardinal Tong to preside over the solemn conclusion of the Mass, and invited him to speak about the need for true fraternity to heal the world in the light of the gospel. Pope Francis also asked that the cardinal convey his greetings to those present, especially to archbishop of Kaohsiung and brothers in the episcopate, priests, deacons, all members of the consecrated life and the lay faithful, and to encourage those gathered to celebrate and worship the holy Eucharist with a fraternal spirit and sincere and mutual love, committing themselves together with the cares of life to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
After the homily, a Eucharistic procession was led by the bishops of the seven dioceses of Taiwan, showing their strong unity in the Eucharist. The procession concluded with a benediction by Cardinal Tong and a floral tribute to the Blessed Virgin Mary. The congress was attended by over 13,000 people, including cardinals, bishops, priests, nuns, and laypeople from different dioceses, representatives from government, different religious organisations, charity groups and schools.
According to the Kung Kao Po, the Chinese-language diocesan weekly of Hong Kong, a group of parishioners from St.Teresa’s Church, Prince Edward Road, and parish priest, Father Moses Ngai, also attended the congress.
At the end of the Mass, the emblem of the Eucharistic Congress was handed over by Archbishop Lau to Bishop John Baptist Huang Min-cheng of the Diocese of Tainan who will host the next congress in 2028.
