” “"The match was great, riveting, down to the very last minute. Only the result makes us sad, of course": this is the comment of the archbishop of Paderborn, mgr. Hans-Josef Becker, about the semi-final of the World Cup that was played yesterday in Dortmund between Germany and Italy, won by the Italian team 2 – 0. Becker reveals he "spent most of the match standing up" out of excitement. "The atmosphere at the stadium was simply catching". To the disappointed German fan, mgr. Becker says: "The candle lit for the German national team must not be blown out. The last three weeks have proven that if one believes in something one can move the mountains. I hope the jolly atmosphere of these days will go on. It was nice and it is nice to see how warmth, solidarity, loyalty, freedom and friendship make society better". The auxiliary bishop of Essen, Franz Grave, stated: "The German national team was proud to have gone this far. The world came closer during the World Cup. This is the primary goal of sports". About the defeat, mgr. Grave added: "If we accept this, the defeat of one’s team on the extra time is not so terrible after all".” “
