Monday, June 12, 2006
Praying for the World Cup
CNS picked up this story on Munich's Catholic cathedral hosting a prayer service prior to the first World Cup match.
Children wearing the soccer team jerseys of the 32 participating nations joined the religious leaders in the opening procession. The opening hymn, "Praise to the Lord," was sung in several languages, and members of the congregation were invited to sing in whichever language they wanted. As a symbol of the hope that the tournament would be a sign of peace, the children spoke about their continents and attached cloth continents to a huge soccer ball, which was thus turned into a globe.BBC briefly describes this priest's converting his parish centre into a World Cup chapel.
"Understandably, many people will be fiercely cheering on their own nation."I believe sport, and football in particular can provide a great bridge in promoting harmony between nations despite differences that exist in race, religion or politics."
Quick quiz for you, before you check link number two: Which soccer position did JPII play in his youth?
