By Michael Cook, The Catholic Weekly, OSV News
Excitement and anticipation is building across the local Catholic community with the news that Pope Leo XIV is expected to visit Australia in 2028 to preside over the International Eucharistic Congress.
According to Bishop Richard Umbers, Auxiliary Bishop of Sydney and CEO of the Eucharistic congress organising committee, during a recent visit to Rome Archbishop Anthony Fisher invited Pope Leo to attend the congress to which the pontiff said, “Well, it’s still a way off, but I’ll be there.”
On the day of Pope Leo’s installation, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had also invited him to visit Sydney, in accordance with diplomatic protocol.
The 2028 event will mark the 100th anniversary of the first International Eucharistic Congress that was held in Melbourne, the same city that hosted the quadrennial event in 1973 with two saints in attendance – Cardinal Karol Wojtyla, now St. John Paul II, and Mother Teresa, now St. Teresa of Kolkata.
With the massive event more than two years away, many logistical issues still need to be resolved, but Bishop Umbers did reveal some of the proposed main events.
“The congress itself will be run for a week. There’ll be an opening Mass and then one would expect, if the pope is able to make it, which we really hope he does, in the latter part of that week he will be involved in a very, very long and large, Eucharistic procession, which will be very exciting,” he said.
“And then there will be a final Mass. As we’ve seen with previous papal visits, it also attracts people from all over the world.”
Bishop Umbers said the presence of Pope Leo at the congress would be “a tremendous boost to the faith of the faithful and to seekers, because the opportunity it presents to hear directly from the successor of Peter will move hearts with the help of the Holy Spirit.”
As Father Robert Prevost, Pope Leo visited Australia several times. “He knows that it is a place where there are many Catholics from communities that represent the whole world,” Bishop Umbers said. “And this will be an opportunity to speak to the world of the saving message of Jesus Christ.”
A visit in 2028 would be the fifth time that a reigning pope has visited Australia.