Not only football

The world football championships 2006 have begun. And in Germany it’s a time of celebration. The German religious world is no exception. And if during the sermon of the ecumenical ceremony for the blessing of the World Cup held in Munich on 9 June even the President of the Council of the German Evangelical Church, the Protestant Bishop WOLFGANG Huber, made no secret of his status as a fan (“the joy for the victory of Germany would be enormous, even on my part”), high-ranking Catholic prelates have also admitted their partisanship in the championship. “Obviously I hope that our team will go forward as far as possible”, declared Cardinal Karl Lehmann, President of the German Bishops’ Conference and bishop of Mainz. “But why – he added – should not an African team win?”. The bishop of Erfurt Joachim Wanke decided to keep free from all engagements the day scheduled for the World Cup finals, 9 July, “just in case Germany should be there”. The bishop of Aachen Heinrich Mussinghoff has also admitted he would prefer to see Germany in the finals, but would also be happy if “a team from a small and discounted country” were to make it. But the World Cup is not just matches played on the field. That is testified by the efforts being made by the Catholic and Evangelical Churches, often joined together for the occasion, to transform a sporting event into an opportunity for dialogue, cooperation and cultural exchange. RECONNECTING WITH THE EXPERIENCES OF WYD . “The World Cup being held in our own country is something special. I would be delighted if Germany were to show it is a good and trusted host. Already during the WYD in Cologne we experienced the atmosphere that is created when people from all over the world meet together peacefully with a common objective. The world football championship can, in its own way and from a sporting point of view, reconnect with these experiences, transcending all frontiers and differences”, declared Cardinal Lehmann on 8 June, adding: “I express this wish to the World Cup: because in this way we will have winning matches and an even more emotional final. And if Germany should win the title, that would be splendid, but that doesn’t represent a condition for the championships to be interesting and successful. In this sense I wish everyone a successful World Cup 2006 and God’s blessing for friendly relations in sport, and not just in the stadium and on the pitch. Moreover, Sunday after Sunday, more people go to the church than they do the stadium. Saturday at the match and Sunday in church: that for me is a good combination: and not just during the World Cup”. WHAT’S HAPPENING IN GERMANY: HAmburg AND COLOGNE . Numerous events of an ecumenical character are also been held during the World Cup: they include the “ecumenical festival of peoples and cultures”, held in Hamburg on 10 June. The festival enjoyed huge success: 15,000 visitors gathered round the Catholic basilica of St. Mary. The matches of the day were broadcast on a mega-screen, while many Christian communities, organizations and charities such as Adveniat, Brot für die Welt, the community of work of the Christian Churches and many foreign missions (Christians from over a hundred countries live in Hamburg) presented their own activities in the adjacent streets. Musical entertainments and gastronomic specialities from all over the world enriched the event. The festival was inaugurated with a celebration presided over by the Archbishop of Hamburg Werner Thissen. The start of the World Cup also marked the inauguration of the first “World Cup Studio” of the Churches of Cologne. It was possible to follow the first match of Germany against Costa Rica at the Dom-Forum, accompanied by refreshments, sandwiches and lashings of Kölsch, the famous beer of Cologne. Cardinal Joachim Meisner decided to have the Masses normally held in the cathedral celebrated in the other churches of the city so that a the matches could be transmitted live on a mega-screen installed in front of the cathedral. The Dom-Forum is the goal of fans from all over the world, from the English to the Iranians to the Mexicans. FOOTBALL AND FAIR TRADE . The Evangelical and Catholic Churches of Dortmund also launched their own programme of activities for the World Cup on Friday 9 June: “Café Mundial”, the Marquee of the Churches, 100 square metres of exhibitions, campaigns and a café marketing fair-trade products. The marquee is dedicated to the commitment to fair trade and is the result of a partnership of the Churches with the Dortmund information centre for the Third World (IZ3W) The inauguration of the huge tent was accompanied with the campaign “fair play – fair life”: a campaign for the marketing of footballs produced according to principles of fair trade. The campaign was also supported by the civic authorities of Dortmund. There are also exhibitions and the presentation of activities promoted by church groups, media centres of church activities during the World Cup and forums for the discussion of spiritual questions.