The Pontiff, who is a soccer fan himself, delivered the video message in Portuguese before the tournament started last week.

He promoted the sport's values of bringing people together, teamwork and opposing racism.

The Pope expressed his hope that this World Cup tournament in Brazil can be a festival of solidarity between people from different parts of the world.

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The bishops are critical that billions of dollars were spent on stadiums, but Brazil's public services are still poor.

In a red card-shaped brochure distributed in churches, the Brazilian bishops' conference urged their government to respect people's right to demonstrate against the tournament.

The bishops criticised World Cup organisers for evicting hundreds of poor people from areas near stadiums, ignoring environmental regulations and surrendering the sport to "big corporations".

They also urged authorities to combat sexual exploitation during the World Cup.

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They've launched a nationwide campaign to raise awareness of the hundreds of vulnerable children at risk of sexual exploitation during the monthlong competition.

With an estimated 600,000 soccer fans expected to arrive in Brazil within a matter of days, the South American nation is under pressure to combat its international reputation as a destination for child sex tourism.

Church leaders fear the heavy flow of tourists during the games could fuel an explosion of sexual trafficking of children and teens at fan fest locations around the World Cup arenas.

Thousands of youngsters will be on school holidays during the event, and the risks of exposure to criminal gangs and predatory individuals is significantly higher.

An estimated 250,000 children are sexually abused every year in Brazil, according to nonprofit child advocacy organizations, and the numbers spike around major sporting events.

Research from Childhood Brazil, a human rights organisation designed to protect children, shows sex crimes against children increased by 66 percent during the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and by 28 percent during the 2006 games in Germany. Continue reading.

Source: Religious News Service

Image: It's A Penalty

Previous events have left countries with decaying venues and huge bills that take years to pay off.

Local communities are increasingly unhappy that a large portion of their government's funds are directed towards events that might line the pockets of corporations, but do little to support local industry.

The $51 billion Sochi Winter Olympic Games — believed to be the most expensive Olympics in history — may have showcased modern Russia to the world, but it also shone a spotlight into the darker corners of the country's society: its treatment of LGBT people, the crackdowns on free speech of groups like Pussy Riot, and the corruption among the country's elite.

The spotlight will soon turn on Brazil, with the World Cup kicking off in June.

Here too, the event has brought world attention to the country's issues.

Hundreds of thousands have taken to the streets to protest the enormous financial costs, the forced evictions of communities, and the exploitation of construction workers.

Marginalised people bear the brunt of costs for these global events.

A new report from Caritas Australia estimates that around 200,000 people have been forced out of their homes in favelas in Brazil to make way for the construction of venues for the World Cup - that's one in every 1000 people. Continue reading.

Source: Eureka Street

Image: ShutterStock

Last month, the Guardian reported that over 400 Nepalese migrant workers had already died at building sites. Between 2010 and 2012 more than 700 workers from India lost their lives working on construction sites in Qatar, too. A report by the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) says that if conditions don't get any better, by the time the World Cup kicks off, at least 4,000 migrant workers will have died on the job. Continue reading