L'istituzione degli accoliti

12PORTE - June 11, 2026: During the vigil Mass for the Solemnity of Corpus Christi, held in the Cathedral on Saturday, the Cardinal Archbishop conferred the ministry of Acolyte on twenty-six people from seventeen parishes of the archdiocese: eight women and eighteen men, including two candidates for the permanent diaconate. The celebration intertwined the mystery of the Eucharist with that of the Word of God, concluding the pastoral year dedicated to the Verbum Domini. "The celebration of Corpus Christi," the Archbishop stated, "is intimately linked to that of the Verbum Domini." The Word, heard and lived, makes us familiar with Jesus and is the "Word of eternal life," capable of directing our existence toward that which does not pass away. For this reason, the Cardinal invited the faithful to recover a concrete and personal relationship with Scripture: "Let us physically take the Word in our hands, open it, and break it among ourselves and with others who seek." This listening, like that of the disciples of Emmaus, makes the heart burn and helps us recognize the Lord in the breaking of bread. During his homily, Zuppi also recalled the theme of the Corpus Pauperum, the body of the poor in which Christ continues to make himself present. The Eucharist, he emphasized, is never a private devotion, but the sacrament that generates communion and teaches us to care for one another, transforming the bonds of daily life into paths of sharing and fraternity. Addressing the new acolytes, called to a special service at the altar and in the life of the community, the Archbishop recalled the words of the rite of institution: "Love with a sincere love the mystical body of Christ, which is the people of God, especially the poor and the sick." A ministry born within the communion of the Church and leaving no room for personal protagonism. "Let no one give in to the temptation to be a lone leader," he warned, echoing a phrase from Pope Leo. The Eucharist, the Cardinal concluded, is the "bread of communion" that unites us to Christ and to one another. From it is born a "radiant" love, capable of gathering and sending, of building relationships and overcoming loneliness and indifference. "It is never about captivating others with religious propaganda," he said, "but always and only about loving as Jesus did."