While the serious problems the world is facing are mostly beyond the control of the church, Catholics can “shine their light” and draw people to a path of peace and solidarity, said Bishop Andrew Cozzens of Crookston, Minn., the chairman of the board of the National Eucharistic Congress, Inc.
After leading the successful National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis July 17-21, Bishop Cozzens took part in the International Eucharistic Congress in Quito, Ecuador, that started Sept. 8 and ended with final Mass Sept. 15.
“The Congress in the U.S. surpassed our expectations in every way. That was a beautiful moment for the whole country,” Bishop Cozzens told OSV News. “To experience the church alive in Latin America is also a great gift.”
Both the events emphasized the theme of healing brought by the Eucharist. In Indianapolis, the third day of the congress especially focused on opportunities for physical, psychological and spiritual healing. In Quito, the “wounds of the world” — the many challenges currently faced by societies, including the immigration crisis, political polarization, and the deep divides caused by it in many nations — were debated in different presentations throughout the week.
Such problems are a reality both in the U.S. and in Latin America, Bishop Cozzens said.
“The divisions in society are so deep that only God can overcome them. The Eucharist, as has been said beautifully in this International Congress, invites us to live a kind of fraternity,” he said, adding that “we are sons and daughters of our God the creator, so every human being in that sense is a brother and sister.”
While we cannot change darkness, Bishop Cozzens argued, we can shine our light to attract people to the good.
“The power that heals the world is the power of God. We’re called to demonstrate by the way that we live and by the way that we forgive that we’re able to love the way Christ loves,” he said.
Both in the U.S. and in Latin America, the church has historically been supportive of immigrants, working for their rights and for policies that can improve their conditions. But with U.S. elections around the corner, it’s not an easy time to defend the Catholic views on that matter, Bishop Cozzens pointed out.
“Of course, as bishops we are constantly speaking for the dignity of every human life, especially of those who are vulnerable like the immigrants. But it doesn’t appear to be a time when our voice is being listened to,” he said.
With many charitable initiatives focusing on immigrants, however, Catholics provide concrete actions that show what their beliefs are, Bishop Cozzens emphasized.
“We are on the ground caring for immigrants and trying to treat them as our brothers and sisters. We want them to experience dignity, and we want them to experience a home, especially in the church,” he said.
Despite all hardships and social challenges, Catholics are called to keep an Eucharistic life, something that was expressed through several testimonies — many given by lay people — during the international congress. Bishop Cozzens told OSV News that those narratives especially made an impact on him.
The involvement of the laity also was fundamental in the organization of the congress in the U.S., Bishop Cozzens said.
“Most of the speakers were lay people. And we had a whole committee of people who planned the Congress that was mostly formed by lay people. I think it’s a beautiful thing that the Eucharist is a gift for the church and the church today works in collaboration this way,” he said.
Bishop Cozzens added that the increasing participation of lay people in the life of the church is related to the practice of synodality, especially the process of co-responsibility.
“We built our congress from a synodal process,” he said. “We organized listening sessions around the country with lay leaders and apostolic leaders. It proved to be very effective. I think you see that also here in Quito among the speakers and different testimonies.”
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