Pope Francis has approved the indication of the Archdiocese of Quito, Ecuador, to host the 53rd International Eucharistic Congress, which will be held in the year 2024, on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the consecration of that noble country to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The Vatican announced the Holy Father’s decision on March 20, 2021.
This great ecclesial gathering will manifest the fruitfulness of the Eucharist for evangelization and the renewal of faith on the Latin American continent, according to the press release of the Pontifical Committee for International Eucharistic Congresses.
In the meantime, preparations are continuing for the next International Eucharistic Congress scheduled to take place in Budapest, Hungary, from September 5 to 12, 2021.
Pope Francis previously announced his decision to visit Hungary. The Holy Father arrives in the capital city of Hungary for the day in September to celebrate the Closing Mass of the Budapest International Eucharistic Congress.
In 2019 Pope Francis paid a three-day visit to Romania, including a journey to Wallachia, Transylvania, and Moldavia. The Pontiff celebrated a Holy Mass in Csíksomlyó, at the site of the most significant annual pilgrimage of the Hungarian Catholics.
It was announced on April 23, 2020, by the Director of the Holy See Press Office, that given the world pandemic crises and its consequences, Pope Frances had decided, in consultation with the Pontifical Committee for International Eucharistic Congresses, with the organizers of the Catholic World Meeting and with the Bishops of Hungary – to postpone by one year the 52 nd International Eucharistic Congress, hosted by Budapest, Hungary and originally scheduled for 2020 September.
Due to the current health situation and its consequences for the movement and aggregation of the faithful and the pilgrims, the same decision on postponements was taken by the Holy See in relation to the Family World Meeting, scheduled for June 2021 in Rome. The World Youth Day of 2022, planned to be organized in Lisbon, is also going to be held one year later, in August 2023.
