CHURCHES AND OLYMPIC GAMES
England: two initiatives to remember our "roots" The bells will be rung in Christian churches across England, to mark the opening of the Olympic Games, July 27, while a Mass for the Catholic athletes will be celebrated on Saturday July 28, at 14.30, in Westminster’s Cathedral, the mother home of English Catholicism, in the heart of London. Thus the bishops of England and Wales invite "Catholic athletes to join the rest of the community in giving thanks to God for the manifold opportunities presented by the Games, not only to our nation, but to the whole world, in this moment". James Parker represents the Catholic Church in the ecumenical charity "More than gold", whose purpose is to view the Olympic Games as an important occasion for evangelization. The opening Mass, officiated on July 28, will be attended by the archbishops of Westminster, Msgr. Vincent Nichols, and Southwark, Msgr. Peter Smith, the bishop of Brentwood, Msgr. Thomas McMahon, diocesan bishops, the apostolic nuncio in the United Kingdom Msgr. Antonio Mennini, and by the archbishop of Porto Rico, Msgr. Roberto Gonzalez Nieves. "A large number of Catholic ex Olympic champions or sport professionals from all over the world – Parker said – are presently in London to take part in the Games". The invitation to chime the bells came from the organizing Committee, Locog, which through the website www.allthebells.com called for thousands of bells to be rung in the whole nation at 8.12, of Friday July 27. "People will wake up, on the day of the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, with an expectation in their hearts", Parker declared, and conveyed his hopes that all Europeans may know that "Christian bells have been rung to remind English islands and the rest of the world the Christian roots of this event".Germany: Catholics and Evangelicals together The German Catholic and Evangelical Churches will be at the Olympic and Paralympic Games in London together. This was announced by the German Bishops Conference (Dbk) and the German Evangelical Church (Ekd) in a joint release published il 16 luglio, pointing out that this is the tenth time such joint initiative will be taking place. The document also presents a brochure that will be handed out to all athletes, coaches, therapists, technicians and executives of the German delegation in London. The brochure will offer cues for reflection. "Our brochure calls people to meditate on biblical texts, to pray when relaxing to fill up with fresh energy for the next race", writes Nikolaus Schneider, president of Ekd, in the introduction to the brochure. "In this way, people experience pastoral care ‘from within’", adds mgr. Robert Zollitsch, president of Dbk. The Catholic priest Hans-Gerd Schütt and the Evangelical priests Thomas Weber and Christian Bode, all with an extensive background in the pastoral care of sportsmen, will take part in the Olympic and Paralympic Games as chaplains.Italy: on July 22 a Mass in "St. Peter’s Church"Mass for the athletes of the Italian Olympic team and for Coni (Italian National Olympic Committee) executives will be officiated on 22nd July in St. Peter’s Church, the Italian community’s historic church in Clerkenwell, in central London, a stone’s throw from the City. It will be officiated by the parish priest of the church, father Carmelo Di Giovanni, a Pallottine, along with the apostolic nuncio to Great Britain, archbishop Antonio Mennini. "I hope – father Di Giovanni says to SIR Europe – it may give the Italian athletes peace and tranquillity". And then he adds: "The athletes and the Coni executives have been brave to ask for a spiritual moment before they start their races. I think that, in today’s secularised world, such beautiful decision should be regarded as a brave choice. Faith helps overcome so many obstacles, to see negative things as positive, so it will help the athletes".
