Pope appoints Tagle as special envoy to US Eucharistic Congress

MANILA, Philippines — Pope Francis has appointed Filipino Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle to be his special envoy to the National Eucharistic Congress in the United States to be held from July 17 to 21.

The Vatican made the announcement last Saturday, according to a report posted on CBCPNews.

Tagle, the pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization, will celebrate the closing mass of the 10th National Eucharistic Congress that will be held in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Archbishop Timothy Broglio, president of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), called Tagle’s appointment as special papal envoy “a gift to the Eucharistic Congress.”

In a USCCB press release, Broglio reportedly said that Tagle’s “deep passion for apostolic mission rooted in the Eucharist is sure to have an inspirational impact on everyone attending the Congress.”

He also pointed out that Tagle knows the US well since he earned a doctorate in theology at the Catholic University of America in 1991.

This will be the first National Eucharistic Congress in over half a century and a pivotal event in the three-year National Eucharistic Revival, leading to the final year of the revival ­– the Year of Missionary Sending, according to the USCCB.

“The congress will give public witness to the Church’s core identity rooted in the Eucharist, and we pray that it will inspire a renewed sense of mission as we live out the gifts of unity and charity,” Broglio said.

“May it be the catalyst for a continued deepening of our faith in the Real Presence,” he added.