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Brazilian children cheering during one of the celebrations of the Peoples' Summit in Rio, 2012.

Brazilian children cheering during one of the celebrations of the Peoples' Summit in Rio, 2012.

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The 20th edition of the FIFA World Cup football tournament beginning today in Brazil is a premier global event. Few events attract more attention than the World Cup.

For host-country Brazil the games afford an opportunity to showcase Brazil’s society, culture and people, hospitably welcoming visitors from cultures, ethnicities and religious expressions around the world.

For the National Council of Churches of Brazil (CONIC), the games offer a unique opportunity to assist visitors with pastoral care and to highlight a deeper understanding of the situation in Brazil.

In her address to the nation on the evening of 10 June, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff expressed her desire that the event also become a landmark in the global struggle for respect for human rights.

“The World Cup will also be the cup of peace, against racism and all forms of violence, the cup of inclusion, against all forms of prejudice, the cup of tolerance, diversity and dialogue,” she said while noting that the country’s democratic context offers space even for those who question the promotion of such an event in Brazil.

“We enjoy freedom and live with popular manifestations that will help us improve the lives of all. Our democratic Institutions support us both to ensure freedom of expression as to curb excesses and radicalism of any kind,” she said.

In a letter to Rousseff and the Brazilian people, World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit said, “Football is one of the most influential elements in the formation of young people around the world and it has the potential of lifting up and uniting them in fair and healthy activities.”

“Sports can be a powerful tool for social inclusion and a way for building peace and dignity for all,” he said.

Tveit also spoke of the ecumenical efforts being carried out by CONIC around the event.

During the World Cup, CONIC is offering a series of activities and opportunities that will help visitors to better understand the Brazilian context and also to experience and share their faith. The programme includes inter-religious celebrations on the theme of peace and building awareness about such issues as human trafficking and sexual abuse of children and adolescents.

CONIC general secretary Rev. Romi Bencke stressed the positive character of churches’ involvement. "We want to offer tools of prevention and create awareness around these issues, in addition to our specific celebrations that will take place in the cities hosting the World Cup matches," she said. "Our local congregations are also ready to offer pastoral care to visitors from around the world," she added.

Find out more about the Brazilian churches' activities during the World Cup (in Portuguese)

Offers of pastoral care in the host cities in various languages

Read letter from general secretary to President Dilma Rousseff (in Portuguese)