The 51st International Eucharistic Congress 2016 in Cebu City

You’ve got to love the way Vatican Radio’s Seàn-Patrick Lovett put it.

Reporting from Cebu City at the close of the week-long International Eucharistic Congress (January 24-31, 2016), Lovett says: “So, by way of conclusion, and since I know you didn’t read or hear about it anywhere else, you need to know that for the past week here in Cebu we have been singing, eating, and celebrating the Catholic Faith the Filipino way: joyfully.”

The event, which is held every four years, did not merit much attention from inter- national mainstream media. That, in spite of the fact that 15,000 representatives from some 70 countries had descended upon the beautiful southern Philippine city of Cebu, with some of the most inspiring presentors delivering timely commentaries on significant issues impacting the world at present, such as the international refugees situation, and highlights such as the impressive candlelight procession which engaged men, women, and children numbering in the hundred-thou- sands, shoulder-to-shoulder through a 5-kilometre stretch across the city.

Lovett was dismayed. “So what exactly do you have to do to get front page news coverage of your international Catholic spiritual festival?”, he asks. “The fact is that, with numbers like those, any other political, sporting or entertainment event anywhere else in the world, would have attracted the kind of attention that it deserved.”

Lovett goes on to say that he had enjoyed (“We had a blast!”) and that “It was more fun because it was in the Philippines. Lovett also acknowledged that while Filipinos do really well singing, eating and celebrating their Faith, “They do so much more than that. He referred to the remarks of Cardinal Tim Nolan, a presentor at the Congress. “Cardinal Nolan publicly expressed his gratitude to the many Filipino priests who have taken over parishes in Europe and America that were in crisis due to a lack of local vocations.” Lovett goes further, “And what about the Filipino care-givers and computer programmers and artists and engineers who have brought the joyfully exuberant expression of their faith tradition to worn- out and lack-lustre Catholic communities on five continents?”

In his report, Lovett lauded the nearly 2 million people representing all ages and social groups that attended the ‘Catholic spiritual festival’, to whom Pope Francis, recognising the significance of the event, had sent a personal video message at the conclusion of festivities. The Pope also announced that the next Congress will take place in 2020 in Budapest, Hungary.

Condensed from the report by Sean-Patrick Lovett. Source: en.radiovaticana.va via iec2016.ph