Hot topics in the IEC

By: Malou Guanzon Apalisok January 27,2016 - 11:40 PM

Midway through the plenary of the 51st International Eucharistic Congress, Church and lay leaders, including news reporters, can point to two (2) important concerns that always crop up in catecheses, open forum, workshops and press conferences.  Because these topics recur regularly, they could well frame the resolutions and calls to action that the Church will put forward at the end of the Congress.

The topics, namely, the use of new media in evangelization and the increasing alienation of young people with regards to the Eucharist were the staple of two press conferences which I attended at the IEC media center last Monday and Tuesday.

The media conferences are regularly held at 2 p.m. with Cebu Archbishop and 51st IEC President Jose S. Palma presiding.  He is backed up by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) Episcopal Commission on Social Communications chairman Bishop Mylo Hubert Vergara and Fr. Jose “Joe” Quilongquilong, SJ.  The featured speaker of the day completes the lineup with Monsignor Joseph Tan, media liaison of the Cebu Archdiocese who opts to stay in the sidelines.

The flow of the news conference on Day 1 had the “business as usual” feel to it until a young news reporter asked the panel how the Church can address the problem with regards to the young people’s lackluster participation in the Mass or even their utter disconnect to the celebration of the Holy Eucharist.

Archbishop Piero Marini, president of the Pontifical Council on International Congresses addressed the question in Italian simultaneously translated by Fr. Joe Quilongquilong.

I hope the reporter followed Archbishop Marini’s response because although I believe he “slayed” the question, the evolution of the Mass was a heavy subject for a young person to swallow.

But Archbishop Marini had to explain that the Mass that we know today has evolved from many centuries before us.  Vatican II intervened in the ’60s to reform Sacred Liturgy through the process of inculturation to ensure people’s active participation.  The key is active participation and here lies the challenge not just for young people but for the Church as it journeys with the young.

The discussion on the message of the Archbishop of Yangon Charles Maung Cardinal Bo, Papal Legate to the IEC, during the opening Mass in Plaza Independencia elicited a thoughtful question from a Manila reporter who asked if the Eucharistic Congress will have an effect on the outcome of the national elections in May.

The question underlined the dichotomy of the Filipino culture and religion — a devout Catholic but one who caves in to vote-buying and corrupt political practices.  This is a familiar topic and Archbishop Palma’s response was spontaneous.

“Grace will flow from the global Catholic event,” he said, and that same grace will allow Filipinos “to live out the Eucharist”.  The grace of hope will enable them to act on the challenges they face, Palma added.

On Day 2 of the plenary, Cebu Archbishop Jose S. Palma was more ebullient than usual in his opening statement because seated beside him was the popular Auxiliary Bishop of Los Angeles, the Most Reverend Robert Barron.  The founder of the “Word on Fire” Ministry earlier presented “Evangelizing in a Secular World” in which he emphasized “Eucharistic faith” as a counter culture and commended Filipinos for their work in keeping parishes going in many places around the world.

Asked to comment on the use of new media in evangelization, Bishop Barron described new media an “extraordinary gift” that the Church can use to reach out to the youth.   The revolution in media technology is an opportunity for priests and even media practitioners, Barron said.

But he cautioned that new media has to be integrated with the rich content of old media like books; otherwise new media would be useless if content is all about superficial things.  The thing is to be grounded in the faith even as he encouraged everyone to read, read, read and pray, pray, pray.

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TAGS: Congress, IEC

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