Portugal, Germany

Portugal: thousands of children on pilgrimageThousands of children from all over the Country will gather June 9-10 in the Shrine of Fatima for a two-day prayer meeting on the occasion of the 36th annual pilgrimage of children in the places of the apparitions of the Holy Virgin. According to a statement released by the communications office of the Shrine, this year’s activities will focus on the theme: "Heart of Mary, Refuge and Way", whose purpose is to "help children discover and welcome the message of the Holy Virgin in the second apparition", June 13, 1917. The pastoral theme falls within the year’s celebration of the Centennial of the Apparitions so as to "highlight, above all, the consoling words of Our Lady to Little Shepherd Lucia, faced with the news that she would soon be saying goodbye to her cousins: ‘Do not lose heart! I will not forsake you. My Immaculate Heart shall be your refuge and the way that will lead you to God’". The purpose is to show children that "the Heart of Mary is indeed refuge and way, not only to the children of all times but also to all those who take refuge in Her maternal protection". Within this process the Organizing Committee hopes to promote in the youth "a spirit of greater openness to God through Mary, and an attitude that prompts confidence and peace". The event’s program, coordinated by Monsignor António Marto Ramos, auxiliary bishop of Braga, can be viewed online by logging on: www.fatima.pt/portal/index.php?id=61347.Germany: opening of the Eucharistic congress On June 5 the Eucharistic Congress, organized by the German Bishops’ Conference (DBK) kicked off in Cologne. In the opening Mass of the congress, ongoing until Sunday 9, Monsignor Robert Zollitsch, DBK President, underlined that "the Church is made up of brothers and sisters who meet Christ and the world". "The Eucharistic Congress", the DBK president continued, "is an opportunity for the German Church to illuminate yet again the overpowering mystery of the Eucharist. The Lord is between us: that’s His great gift to us. Within Him we access our Lord the Father. The celebration of the Eucharist doesn’t leave us indifferent. It transforms us individually and as a Church". The Mass was co-celebrated by the Cardinal of Cologne Joachim Meisner, who mentioned the evangelical motto of the Congress, ("Lord, to whom shall we go?" John 6,68) underlining that "there is no alternative" to God. "As Peter did before us, we have made our choice, and for this reason we have decided to attend the Eucharistic Congress" to "enter the heart of our faith, as we draw near the altar to celebrate the Holy Eucharist". The Eucharistic Congress in Cologne lies within the framework of celebrations for the commemoration of the fiftieth anniversary of the Second Vatican Council, as pointed out by Hans Langendörfer SJ, Secretary of the German Bishops’ Conference (DBK), during a press conference prior to the opening of the Eucharistic Congress. "As Catholics, with the liturgical constitution of the Second Vatican Council we celebrate our liturgy", he said, recalling the encyclical of John Paul II on the Eucharist in which is described the relationship between the Eucharist and the community of faithful. "The Eucharistic Congress is the encounter between the members of the community and between the community and Christ", said monsignor Robert Kleine, secretary of the Eucharistic Congress, who described the gathering as "the quest for God" "expressed in catechesis, in the Mass, in the show of lights and sound". Hermann-Josef Johanns, director of the project of the Congress, highlighted the warm welcome given by Cologne and the city’s authorities to the event, marked by the availability of private and community homes to participants.