What does the word ‘Eucharist' mean and why it this rite important for the Roman Catholic Church?

The word ‘Eucharist' means the following secret of our belief: during the Last Supper in the company of his disciples, Jesus – before he was caught and executed – referred to the bread and said "this is My body" and when referring to the wine, he said "this is My blood". These are the words through which Jesus has established the Eucharist, i.e. the sacrament of Christ's real presence here on Earth. In other words, Christ is present in our churches and in our chapels, where the Eucharist is kept. At the same time, this word also refers to the holy mass, the most important service, the liturgy, and the very celebration the Church conducts, as this event marks the time when bread and wine will transform into Christ's body and blood. This is the central secret of out belief, so at each holy mass, we articulate: "Let us proclaim the mystery of faith". We, Catholics do not look for the right way of living our lives or the meaning of our life, but we believe that it is God who is looking for us. The Eucharist means that God has come to us, has become human, loves humans, would love to change the fate of the world for the better, is interested in what is happening to humans, and does all this in a way that God does come and experience the human fate with all its struggles, failures, suffering and death. But Christ did not remain in the tomb, locked up in the power of death, but resurrected; for this reason the resurrected Jesus is present and lives in the Eucharist.

Why has the notion of the Eucharist been included in the name of the Congress?

Saint John the Evangelist phrased the most aptly what God is like or who God is like when he said: "God loves you", God is love. And this is so in the fullest sense of the word, which we cannot potentially comprehend and which surpasses all that we know according to our belief and experiences. The Eucharist represents the love of God towards humans, and it is for this reason that the series of events and the series of celebrations, called Congress, has come about with its wealth of programmes.

How long have such congresses been organised? Where were they held previously?

In the 1870s, the movement was started as a local initiative by a French woman called Émilie-Marie Tamisier and others. The Church supported the initiative and it spread first to the entire France, then to Europe and finally to the whole world. The Holy See of Vatican also advocated the initiative: a central office was formed with an allocated budget for organisational purposes, and today it is the Pope who decides the venue of these international congresses. Many parts of the world have already hosted congresses: congresses were held primarily in regions with a Christian culture and tradition, spanning in range from Asia through Africa, to North and South America, not to mention several countries in Europe. Here in Hungary the last congress was held 80 years ago, and interestingly enough 80 years ago and also on this occasion it was the Philippines that hosted the previous congress.

What events are going to be held in 2020?

In the scope of a large-scale First Communion for the "pan-Carpathian Basin" region with already over a thousand people registered, the opening holy mass will take place on 13th September 2020 in the Budapest-based Puskás Ferenc Stadium, which will have been completed by that time. Late afternoon on 19th September 2020, Budapest's Kossuth Square will host an open-air holy mass, from which a torchlight march along Andrássy Street will lead to Heroes' Square, where a spectacular evening programme will be staged utilising the opportunities afforded by the evening light conditions. Apart from this, in the mornings and afternoons of all days during the Congress Budapest's HUNGEXPO Budapest Congress and Exhibition Centre will host diverse programmes, while concurrently several other Budapest-based locations will host cultural events. We are trying to please all age groups and people of all interests. For example, for the sake of the young, a Young Persons' Evening will be held on 18th September (Friday) in Papp László Sports Arena. Concerning the programmes, all information is available on our webpage at iec2020.hu, and this is also the name that we use for our appearances in the social media.

At the previous congress held in Budapest 80 years ago, Pesti Vigadó was home to some events: actually, the building hosted programmes already on the day of the opening ceremony. What events were hosted and will be hosted by Pesti Vigadó in connection with the 2020 Congress?

As a lead-in to the Congress, in August and September 2018, Pesti Vigadó hosted a showcasing entitled "On the Eucharist through the Language of Miracles and Arts", which allowed believers and non-believers to acquire belief-related knowledge. Between 30th October 2019 and 19th January 2020, the exhibition entitled "The Reverence of the Blessed Sacrament in Hungary" is on show in Pesti Vigadó, which displays cult of the Eucharist related liturgical devotional goldsmith's works and textiles originating from the Middle Ages and the Modern Era. The organisers devote particular attention to special symbols such as the representations of wheat, grapes, the lamb, the pelican, wafers and the grail. The Exhibition will also feature relics connected to the Feast of Corpus Christi as well as folk traditions, folk songs and objects from homes of devout families related to the Feast. The prayerful reverence of the Eucharist and devotional societies dedicated to this Feast are not unknown to today's believers, either. However, the historical connections on display at this exhibition will prompt us to consider the importance of continuing these traditions. The exhibition is organised by the Esztergom-based Christian Museum, but thanks to the joint efforts of all Hungarian dioceses, this collection of artworks, images, music and songs will offer a wide perspectival overview of the most holy secret of our Christian belief.

In fact, independent of this Congress, Pesti Vigadó has already hosted church-related exhibitions: for example, the venue gave home to the first introductory-purpose overview-type display of the Christian Museum's collection of religious folk objects, which exhibition was jointly organised by the Hungarian Academy of Arts' Section of Folk Arts and the above-mentioned Esztergom-based museum. The opening of this exhibition was held as late as in 2015, one year after the death of renowned ethnographer Zsuzsanna Erdélyi. Since then, the showcasing has adopted the name of Zsuzsanna Erdélyi, who founded this ethnographical collection. Now this exhibition also features as a permanent show.

On the occasion of the Congress held 80 years ago in commemoration of the 900th anniversary of the death of Hungary's King Saint Stephen, Cardinal Pacelli was also present at the Congress in his capacity as the head of legate. In 18 months' time the Cardinal became Pope Pius XII, and also present was Giovanni Battista Montini, who later became Pope Paul VI. What information have you got about the guests of the 2020 Congress?

One year prior to the Congress, all I can say for certain is that quite a few foreign cardinals and prelates have confirmed their presence: they will be representing all the five continents. On the other hand, it is not only high-raking churchmen who will be present: we are expecting representatives of Hungarian and foreign social organisations including artists, sportspersons, actors and actresses. Whether there is going to be a papal legate or not will be confirmed only later, in due course prior to the event.