A desire to become a ‘different Church’

Eighty years and a world away from its last staging in Ireland, the International Eucharistic Congress has returned to Dublin to the delight of devout Catholics and a marked indifference by the wider public.

The start of the 50th staging of the four-yearly gathering of Catholic clergy and laity took place at the main arena of the RDS in Ballsbridge yesterday before a crowd of up to 10,000 people, including many pilgrims from overseas.

Although on a vastly smaller scale than its 1932 predecessor and against a background of a turbulent period in the history of the Catholic Church in Ireland, the official opening ceremony proved a joyous occasion for the faithful. However, the attendance fell far short of the 20,000-strong crowd anticipated by the organisers, despite the fact that over 11,000 people, including pilgrims from 120 countries, have registered to attend the week-long event.