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Gulf Pine CATHOLIC THE DIOCESE OF BIL XI NEWSPAPER Volume 42 > Number 6 www.gulfpinecatholic.com NOVEMBER 22, 2024 Diocese of Biloxi State of the Diocese Report for Fiscal Year Ending June 2024 PAGES 7-18 Nuncio, USCCB president reflect on Eucharistic congress, synodality, duty to proclaim Gospel BY LAURETTA BROWN GRETCHEN R. CROWE OSV News BALTIMORE ( OSV News ) -- The public session of the fall plenary assem- bly of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops opened Nov. 12 with remarks from Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio of the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services, USCCB president, and Cardinal Christophe Pierre, the papal nuncio to the U.S. In an address of a little less than 20 minutes, Cardinal Pierre spoke to the U.S. bishops about July’s National Eucharistic Congress, the Synod on Synodality, which wrapped up at the end of October, and the upcoming Jubilee 2025 in Rome -- all through the lens of Pope Francis’ new encyclical on the Sacred Heart of Jesus, “Dilexit Nos.” “At the very time when the universal synod was coming to its completion, and with a Jubilee Year about to begin, the pope has some- what ‘surprised’ us by returning to a very basic ele- ment in the church’s piety, something that might even seem too ‘simple’: devotion to the heart of Jesus,” he said. “Isn’t it interesting that, of all things, the pope would give us, precisely at this moment, an encyclical on the Sacred Heart? I think this is something worth paying attention to. What meaning are we to derive from this call to return to the heart?” The National Eucharistic Congress was “a reli- gious experience of the saving love of Jesus” -- “an experience that is not an end, but a beginning. When we encounter Christ’s love in this way, we are com- pelled to share it with others. And this is what we are, the shepherds of at this time in our country.” “We must help the church find the answers to the questions that were being asked at the conclusion of the Eucharistic congress: How do we move from per- sonal encounter to mission? Where are the new direc- tions that the Spirit is leading us in our evangeliza- tion? What new avenues do we need to open in the life of the church?” he asked. “After all, a broad Eucharistic revival can only occur if we are able to live the Eucharist in all its dimensions: not only by gathering to adore, but also by going out on mission, so that Christ can encounter others.” Cardinal Pierre acknowledged that “several years into our synodal journey as a church, some are still asking, ‘What is synodality?’” He suggested that the “language of devotion to the Sacred Heart” can help people better understand the term. “The synodal church is a gathering of people who have come into relationship with the heart of Christ, and who are journeying together in order to share that relationship with others.” Saying that the synod was never about “complet- ing a to-do list” or “certain outcomes,” he said instead it is “about inviting more participation in the church’s missionary discernment; while at the same time, deep- ening our shared participation with the Lord.” Because of this, the success of the synod should not be judged by what decisions were made, but by “the way in which conversations are hap- pening at various levels in the church.” “For those who feel disappointed about the church’s synodal process to this point -- either for what it has been or for what it hasn’t been -- I would share the encouragement that I think Pope Francis is offering us through this encyclical,” he said. “Essentially the pope is saying to us: Look deeper for what synodality is about. Look to the heart: your own heart, the heart of Christ, and the heart of the other person. From there, we can embark on a shared mission as church.” Finally, the cardinal addressed the Jubilee Year in Rome, saying that it is “exactly what our world and our country need right now, but which no secular power or political solution could ever achieve.” “We can all see the fragmentation in the human community, especially during these seasons of heightened political activity. And if we look within, we can see the fragmentation in ourselves,” he said, adding that Pope Francis explains in his encyclical “how the human heart is capable of ‘uniting the fragments.’” Following Cardinal Pierre’s remarks, Archbishop Broglio began his presidential address with a refer- ence to the Book of Maccabees, recalling “the fidelity of the chosen people in a time of oppression, forced assimilation and rule by a foreign power.” This fidel- ity, he said, was “sufficient to ensure a temporary victory over the oppressors, but more importantly the preservation and handing on of the Jewish faith to the next generations right up to our time.” Praising the “moment of unity and celebration” of Christ’s real presence at the Eucharistic congress, he noted that the revival “continues now in its phase of mission” to “help the faithful discover or deepen its meaning, and to prolong the positive effects of the first two years of the Eucharistic revival.” SEE USCCB FALL24 OPENING REMARKS, PAGE 20 Bishop Robert E. Barron of Winona-Rochester, Minn., listens to a question from Archbishop Christopher J. Coyne of Hartford, Conn., during a Nov. 13 session of the fall general assembly of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in Baltimore. OSV News photo/Bob Roller