LETTER OF JOHN PAUL II 
TO CARDINAL JAN SCHOTTE, 
PAPAL LEGATE 
TO THE NATIONAL EUCHARISTIC CONGRESS (USA)

To our Venerable Brother
Jan Pieter Schotte
Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church
Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops

Remembering with great pleasure our pastoral visit among the dear people of St Louis and to their beloved Pastor, our Venerable Brother Justin Rigali, we recently learned of the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Eucharistic Congress that had once happily taken place there for the entire nation.

In order that this same event, outstanding and memorable even in this anniversary year, might be recognized and more greatly honoured by a new act, as it were, of our presence, we have desired that our Legate and the Representative of our Person should participate in the solemn ceremonies which will take place in this same city on 15 and 16 June, and which with great joy we have heard may involve tens of thousands of the Christian faithful.

We therefore consider you, our Venerable Brother, qualified and suitable to fulfil there in a praiseworthy manner the role of representing us in word and action. By this Letter we willingly assign you as our Special Envoy to the ceremonies that will recall, on those memorable days there, the centenary of the National Eucharistic Congress.

You shall represent us to the Bishops who are very dear to us as well as to the faithful; you shall present our teaching on the importance and relevance of the Eucharistic in Christian living; and with our fraternal greeting you shall impart the Apostolic Blessing as we did personally two years ago to the entire Catholic community of St Louis.

Confidently entrusting you with this role of representing us, we greet you and, with our blessing, likewise trust that this task will be happily fulfilled for the benefit of all.

From the Vatican, on the 30th day of the month of May, in the year 2001, the twenty-third of our Pontificate.

JOHN PAUL II