For the first time a Mass was celebrated at the foot of the monument that marks the center of the world

This Saturday, September 7, a Mass was celebrated for the first time at the foot of the monument that marks the center of the world, according to Cardinal Pedro Barreto, president of the Ecclesial Conference of the Amazon, who presided over the Eucharist with which the event closed. Theological Symposium held in Quito (Ecuador).

The monument to the Middle of the World, located in the province of Pichincha, north of Quito, marks the point where the equatorial line passes, as established by a Franco-Spanish geodesic mission from the 18th century.

Likewise, it is located within the tourist complex called the City of the Middle of the World, which resembles a small Spanish town and from which the procession of Ecuadorian priests and bishops departed who will participate in the 53rd International Eucharistic Congress that will begin tomorrow, Sunday.

“When we talk about half,” the cardinal said at the beginning of the Mass, “we are referring to a word that divides; On the other hand, when we say ‘the center’, it unites us, even when we talk about the north or the south, the east and the west. And it is here where we celebrate for the first time the sacrament of the Eucharist, a sacrament of love to the extreme that actualizes the paschal mystery of Christ.”

“For this reason, we can affirm that Quito and its archdiocese, and all of Ecuador, today become the Eucharistic city, the center of humanity and the world that suffers and waits, because Christ is the center and foundation of unity, because we unites and integrates as a Church that is on a pilgrimage towards the Kingdom of God,” he expressed.

Under intense heat that forced several participants to protect themselves with hats and umbrellas, Cardinal Barreto recalled in his homily that “the Easter of Jesus is actualized in each Eucharist,” which “is the sacrament of our faith.”

Likewise, in reference to the motto of the congress, Fraternity to heal the world, the Archbishop Emeritus of Huancayo also pointed out that “in the difficult and complex moments that humanity, and within it the Church, is experiencing today, we are called to walk together, to to listen to his word, to feed ourselves with his body and his blood, and to share our lives with others, especially with the poor and excluded.”

While the symposium was held at the Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador, much of the activities of the Eucharistic congress will take place at the Metropolitan Convention Center of Quito.

According to the program, the Archbishop of Quito, Mons. Alfredo José Espinoza, will preside tomorrow at the opening Mass in the Bicentennial Park, in which a large number of children will receive their First Communion.