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The Catholic priest coordinating the inter-religious center for athletes at the Olympic Village is looking forward to “very successful spiritual mission”.
“We hope that the center will encourage harmony and unity among different countries and among different religions,” the coordinator Father Leandro Lenin Tavares says.
“We are a symbol of peace, brotherhood and the unity of peoples.”
It’s no secret that the Olympic Games bring together a diverse pool of people from different ethnicities and cultures.
Competitors have divergent beliefs and lifestyles, particularly when it comes to the practice of faith and religion.
Tavares says the center will be open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week, from July 24-Aug. 24 for Olympic athletes and their delegations and September 1-21 for Paralympic athletes and delegations.
The inter-religious center has five meeting rooms, each occupied by one of the five faiths chosen by the International Olympic Committee: Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam.
The Catholic Church will represent the Christian faith.
These religions were chosen based on the faith composition of the athletes slated to compete in the Olympic Games.
The center will host not only group meetings and Masses but also will offer individual guidance to those who seek religious support.
But this won’t only be limited to the aforementioned religious traditions, as people who subscribe to other faiths will also be able to ask for support.
“Our job is to provide athletes with a place where they can find comfort and spiritual peace, whatever their religion,” Tavares says.
Source
- America
- Deseret News
- Image: Pixabay
