Banks: Pope's encyclical 'most personal' yet News-Chronicle An encyclical from Pope John Paul II on the Eucharist is described by Green Bay Bishop Robert Banks as "the most personal" the pope has ever written. The papal letter "Ecclesia de Eucharistia" was signed Thursday in Rome during Holy Thursday Mass. The letter reaffirmed the Roman Catholic Church's teaching of the presence of Christ in the Eucharist, the need for validly ordained ministers for its celebration and the importance of following the church's liturgical rules. It was the 14th encyclical of the pope's tenure, which began in 1978. "The words spring from a heart that has been in love with the Eucharist for a lifetime," Banks said in a statement. In the letter, the pope said abuses "had occurred" in the ritual, which in Catholic doctrine says the wafer and wine used in the ceremony become the body and blood of Christ. He said it led to "confusion with regard to sound faith and Catholic doctrine." "The pope is also deeply concerned about certain trends that obscure the traditional Catholic understanding of the Eucharist," Banks said. "The pope's directness about these abuses - and they do not occupy a major part of the encyclical - come from a conviction that the Eucharist is at the heart of the Church. He is not being a nag."