Geneva: St. Pierre the Geneva Cathedral in Switzerland prepares for the first Catholic Mass to be celebrated after the Protestant Reformation of nearly five hundred years. The diocese of Lucien, Geneva, and Freiburg announced on February 29 that the First Holy Communion will be held five centuries later. St. Pierre the Geneva Cathedral was the seat of the Geneva Bishops from the 4th century until the Protestant Reformation. The most recent sacrifice was made in 1535. After the Protestant Reformation, John Calvin’s Reformed Protestant Church took over the cathedral and destroyed the shrine and other objects.
The Cathedral Church is regarded as the most important place in the Christian history of Geneva, according to Fr. Pascal Desteus described the letter published on the Vicariate’s website. John Calvin, the father of Calvinism, lived in Geneva. His homeland was St. Pierre the Geneva Cathedral. The Diocese of Geneva was later merged into the Diocese of Lucien, Geneva, and Freiburg. Today, about 40 percent of Switzerland’s population is Catholic.
Fr. Pascal Destizus will be the chief conductor of the historic Holy Communion on February 29. He hoped that the Protestant brothers would welcome them. Meanwhile, Protestants who attend the Holy Eucharist are worried about whether they will accept the Holy Eucharist. The traditional law of the Church is that only Catholics who accept the baptism and receive baptism should receive the Holy Eucharist.
