53rd International Eucharistic Congress

After the visit made by Pope Francis in 2015, during the period of the then president of Ecuador, Rafael Correa, the pope was enthusiastic about the warmth shown by the Andean country, for which in a meeting held in Rome, he determined that Quito is chosen for the ecumenical congress, to give greater projection to the Catholic religion in a region that has once again been divided in the religious sphere due to the constant sieges of leftist-leaning politicians that have left the region weak.[1]

In one of the masses held on Thursday, September 9, 2020, at the Eucharistic Congress in Hungary; The Archbishop of Quito, Alfredo José Espinoza Mateus, announced that Quito will host the event that will coincide with the 150th anniversary of the Consecration of Ecuador to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.[2]

It was announced that, with this communication, the organizational and spiritual preparation of the next International Eucharistic Congress (IEC2024) begins, in which the National Delegates appointed by the Episcopal Conferences of the different countries also participate. Remembering that the International Eucharistic Congresses are not relics of the past that are difficult to integrate into today's world, but rather, much like the other great public events of the Church, they are committed to generating historical processes of growth of Christian communities around values that bear witness to the presence of God in the history of humanity and reflect more clearly the role of the Eucharist in ecclesial life and praxis.[3]