At ecumenical service, leaders hope World Cup helps join nations

Published: 2006-06-09

BERLIN, Germany (CNS) -- Just hours before Germany and Costa Rica met in the first game of the 2006 FIFA World Cup, leaders of different faiths gathered in prayer at Munich's Catholic Cathedral of Our Lady. In a nationally televised service, representatives of all denominations expressed their hope that the tournament would be a joyous occasion that would help bring the nations of the world together. 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. Those representing the Americas spoke of how children there were united in playing "in the parking lots of the Bronx, in the dried-out riverbeds of the slums, in the cold of Alaska and the wide open spaces of Patagonia," a dry, grassy region in Argentina and Chile.

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