The Corpus Domini procession unfolded from Piazza Duomo to the parish of the Sacred Heart of the Capuchins, traveling along Via Vittorio Emanuele and Via Plebiscito Alta. With that journey following the Holy Host, the archbishop, the priests, the consecrated men and women and the ecclesial aggregations wanted to remember that, as Monsignor Renna said, “Jesus remained with us until the end of time in the Bread of the Eucharist”. “Christ – added the archbishop in the homily in the Cathedral – is the crossing point of our lives. When we eat His Flesh, He becomes the life of all, He takes us all into Himself as a center in which the lines converge, we do not remain strangers or enemies of each other.” An invitation to the faithful came from the archbishop: “We Christians – he said – are called to be men and women of communion, if we do not want to commit further betrayal: where we find division, arrogance and war, which are the of the divider who was defeated on the Cross, we bring communion, the meekness of dialogue, justice and peace”. There was no shortage of references to current events in the archbishop of Catania’s homily. The city authorities were present in the cathedral, including the prefect Maria Carmela Librizzi and the mayor Enrico Trantino.
“Someone is surprised – argued Monsignor Renna – that the bishops and the Church deal with issues that concern the life of the country, its poverty, its democracy. But today, the celebration of a Republic in which Catholics have been protagonists with martyrdom in the time of totalitarianism and with the thought and testimony in the time of its construction, it is useful to remember, demonstrating great esteem for the civil, judicial, military and cultural institutions present here, the words of Pope Benedict XVI: the mystery of The Eucharist enables us and pushes us to a courageous commitment to the structures of this world to bring that newness of relationships which has its inexhaustible source in the gift of God. The lay Christian in particular, trained in the school of the Eucharist, is called to assume directly one’s political and social responsibility”. Monsignor Renna then expressed the hope that the Eucharist “has a people who celebrate it, adore it, and bear witness to its meaning”. At the end of the procession, speaking in the churchyard of the parish of the Sacred Heart to the Capuchins, the archbishop launched an appeal to the city and the local church. “Courage Catania – he said – the Lord walks with you. He listens to you and shows you the way. Courage Church of Catania – he concluded – the Lord is with you. Worry about announcing the Gospel and knowing how to pray, everything else is superfluous “.
