Church in Japan Readies for World Cup Championship

TOKYO, MAY 24, 2002 (Zenit.org).- The Catholic Church in Japan is preparing to welcome thousands of Christians who will visit the archipelago during the forthcoming World Soccer Championship.

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The Japanese bishops´ conference has published Mass timetables and the addresses of Catholic churches in the country, in order to facilitate attendance at Mass by visiting soccer fans.

It also has a Web site, www.cbcj.catholic.jp/2002/.

The bishops plan to have Masses celebrated in various languages, and will publish the timetables in areas close to the stadiums where the World Cup games will be played.

Japan´s 126 million people include only about 500,000 Catholics. Most Japanese profess Shintoism — a religion based on the veneration of ancestors and nature — or Buddhism, with more than 200 variations and schools.

The World Cup Championship begins May 31 and will be contested in two countries: South Korea and Japan. The final will be held in Yokohama on June 30.

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ZENIT Staff

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