Budapest Hosts the International Eucharistic Congress in 2020

Budapest, Hungary will host the 52nd International Eucharistic Congress (IEC) from September 13 to 20, 2020.

"Against the backdrop of a great European city," Pope Francis said about the 52nd Eucharistic Congress. "Christian communities await a new evangelization capable of meeting the challenges of secularized modernity."

First held in 1881, the IEC strives to show that the Eucharist is "the source and summit of Catholic life." The theme of the 52nd Eucharistic Congress is "All my Springs are in Thee," coming from Psalms 87:7. Quebec City hosted the 49th Congress in 2008.

Pope Francis has noted the need for a "Eucharistic culture" that creates "a cradle of attitudes that … impel us to express in our way of life and our thinking the grace of Christ who gave himself to the full."

Budapest previously hosted an IEC in 1937, when delegates prayed for peace and Christian unity, as the outbreak of World War Two was just on the horizon.

Registration for the 52nd International Eucharistic Congress opens in September 2019. To learn how you can become a delegate and to sign-up for a newsletter from the IEC planning team, visit: www.iec2020.hu/en. We pray for all those preparing for this important global gathering.

Photo courtesy of Dennis Jarvis