Malawi Catholic Bishops Pledge to Advance Resolutions of Inaugural National Eucharistic Congress

Lilongwe, 11 August, 2025 / 5:12 PM

The Catholic Bishops of Malawi have committed to ensuring a successful implementation of the resolutions from the inaugural National Eucharistic Congress, held from August 5-9 at Our Lady of Africa Maula Cathedral in the Catholic Archdiocese of Lilongwe.

In a communiqué issued at the close of the five-day congress on August 9, the members of the Malawi Conference of Catholic Bishops (MCCB) also urge Priests in the country to actively support the implementation in their respective Parishes, particularly by promoting deeper devotion and reverence for the Blessed Sacrament as “the real and true presence of Christ.”

 “The 2025 Eucharistic Congress, through the Malawi Conference of Catholic Bishops, is committed to spreading the reflections and fruits of the Congress to all the faithful at every level of the Church,” the MCCB members say.

They emphasize that “Priests as Ordinary Ministers of the Eucharist should promote reverence to the Eucharist,” adding that Adoration and Benediction in Parishes should be considered “an obligation for all Christians” rather than merely “a private devotion for particular groups.”

They further urge Priests in the Southern African nation to ensure that the faithful understand the format of Adoration as provided in the new Hymn Books in the local Chichewa and Chitumbuka languages.

They urge Priests to prioritize the dissemination of teachings on the Blessed Sacrament and provide pastoral assistance to Christians who are barred from receiving the sacraments so that they may be reconciled and return to full sacramental participation.

In their August 9 statement, the MCCB members reflect on the key insights from the five-day event they organized for the people of God in the Southern African nation “to study and prayerfully reflect on the centrality of the Blessed Sacrament in the lives of the Pilgrims of Hope in this Year of the Jubilee of Hope 2025.”

They note that the Congress reaffirmed that all liturgical rites are directed toward the Eucharist, described as the “source and summit” of the Catholic faith, underscoring the need for every Christian to be properly disposed to receive the divine graces that flow from the Blessed Sacrament.

The Congress further emphasized the call for all Christians “to embrace a Eucharistic Encounter, Eucharistic Identity, Eucharistic Life, and Eucharistic Mission” as key pathways to renewing and deepening their Eucharistic faith.

It also highlighted the vital role of the family and Small Christian Communities in reflecting Christ’s presence in the Church’s life, and stressed that the Blessed Sacrament sustains those “in Consecrated Life in their evangelical counsels, daily living, and mission.”

“The Eucharistic Sacrifice is a gift of the Holy Trinity to the Church and humanity,” the Bishops noted urging the “Ministers and the faithful to celebrate it with fidelity to the rites prescribed by the Church.”

Calling the Eucharist “a gift of God’s mercy,” the Congress urged the people of God to be agents of charity, strengthened by their devotion to the Blessed Sacrament and reminded them of the significance of the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation as a necessary preparation for a fruitful encounter with Christ.

They said the National Eucharistic Congress underscored the central role of the Eucharist in the life of the Church, especially within liturgical celebrations.

“Liturgical celebrations should be properly prepared for and choirs should aim at helping the congregation to actively participate in the liturgy by selecting songs that are well known to the worshipers,” said the MCCB members in their August 9 statement following the August 5-9 spiritual initiative.

Earlier in the week, during the opening of the five-day event, which brought together the people of God from across all Dioceses in Malawi, Pope Leo XIV called upon the Church in Malawi to make the Eucharistic Congress “a moment of profound grace.”

In a message read out on his behalf by the Apostolic Nuncio in Malawi and Zambia, Archbishop Gian Luca Perici the Holy Father said, “May it be a moment to deepen the love for the Most Holy Eucharist, strengthen the bonds of communion among the people of God and inspire a renewed missionary zeal in every Diocese, Parish and family.”