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Disturbing the peace

29 Mar 2009 - Preaching the News for Sunday

The psalmist appeals to the greatness of God’s compassion to “wipe out my offense.” The government of South Africa may want to approach the Dalai Lama, known for his compassion, with a similar plea after having barred him from entering the country for a peace conference this week that was later cancelled because of the public outcry over the Dalai Lama’s exclusion. The government had said Monday that the Tibetan leader would not be allowed to come to South Africa to attend the conference, meant to promote the 2010 World Cup, because his presence would have distracted attention from South Africa and drawn it instead to the contentious debate over the status of Tibet. Two of South Africa’s Nobel Prize winners, Desmond Tutu, the retired Anglican archbishop, and former President F. W. de Klerk, condemned the government for giving in to pressure from China and said they would refuse to participate in the conference if the Tibetan leader were not there. The executive director of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, Geir Lundestad, also said he would stay away. “It is disappointing that South Africa, which has received so much solidarity from the world, doesn’t want to give that solidarity to others,” Lundestad said, referring to the decades-long fight against apartheid. South Africa is China's largest trading partner on a continent in which China is heavily and increasingly involved. China’s exports to Africa last year rose 36.3 percent from 2007 to $50.8 billion, while imports of African goods rose 54 percent to $56 billion, according to customs data reported by Xinhua, the Chinese state news agency. “South Africa is a newly emerging country and China is giving it considerable economic resources so it is understandable,” said Samdhong Rinpoche, the prime minister of the Tibetan government-in-exile Monday in Dharmsala, India. “Every country has to protect its economic and political interests.” After the cancellation Roman Catholic Cardinal Wilfrid Napier told the SAPA news agency: “I am concerned that this man of peace is not allowed into our country at this time when we need people of peace to inspire us. I’m very concerned that our rights to association, freedom of religion, and freedom of expression have been sold out to economic and political expedience once again.” Sources: Articles by Celia W. Dugger for the New York Times, Donna Bryson for the Associated Press, and Agence Presse France

Peace south africa world cup tibet f w de klerk desmond tutu nobel prize geir lundestad samdhong rinpoche wilfrid napier china dalai lama

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Time for South Africa to shine

13 Jun 2010 - Preaching the News for Sunday

The themes of forgiveness, atonement, and justification run through this Sunday’s readings. The social sin of apartheid was abolished in South Africa in 1990 following worldwide condemnation. This week the spotlight turns to that country as it stages the 2010 World Cup, the biggest sports event in the world and the first ever Cup held on African soil. The tournament promises to be a chance for the once-fractured nation to reshape images and dispel stereotypes. “Ke Nako!” is the tournament motto: “It’s Time!” South African organizers are determined to prove they can indeed pull off a global event, despite what skeptics think. They have promised to curtail crime, provide adequate transportation and lodging, and fill stadiums in nine cities. South Africa spent $3.7 billion on improvements to its infrastructure, from upgrading airports to lighting highways to building five new stadiums and improving five others. More than 40,000 police officers and unmanned surveillance planes have been mobilized to patrol one of the most crime-ridden countries in the world. After a sluggish start, ticket sales are booming. As of last week 95 percent of the 2.8 million available tickets had been sold--similar to what Germany sold four years earlier. More than 130,000 tickets were sold in the United States, second only to the host nation. South Africa hosted the 1995 Rugby World Cup, a politically significant event that inspired the recent movie Invictus. The nation’s rugby team had been embraced mostly by the white resistance, but newly the elected president Nelson Mandela got behind the team and presented the trophy wearing its jersey. That was a big moment. This World Cup can have far greater impact, as it will be viewed all over the globe. “This is a very important step in Nelson Mandela’s long walk to freedom,” said Dr. Richard Grant, a University of Miami geography professor who is in South Africa this summer studying the country’s urban reconstruction. “It is particularly significant for the black community, which has always embraced soccer. The fact that all the country, even the elite white, is so excited about the World Cup is a symbol of unification.” Source: An article by Michelle Kaufman for MiamiHerald.com

world cup south africa nelson mandela

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Brazilians don’t all share World Cup goals

01 Jun 2014 - Preaching the News for Sunday

In the second reading this Sunday, the disciples are encouraged not to be troubled if they find themselves "insulted for the name of Christ." A number of Brazilians, however, are quite troubled over the high cost of the nation's preparations to host the World Cup, saying that the lavish expenditures were inappropriate in a developing nation with so many unmet social needs. And ticket prices that are out of range of the ordinary worker are an insult to the nation's large low-income population, they say. Protestors took to the streets this week and police fired tear gas canisters to contain them as they tried to march to the stadium in Brasília where the soccer tournament's trophy was on public display Tuesday. The protest snarled rush hour traffic in the Brazilian capital adjacent to the Mané Garrincha National Stadium, the most costly arena built for the 32-nation sports event that begins in 16 days. Adding to the tension, Amazonian Indians in traditional tribal dress with bows drawn joined the protesters from the Homeless Worker's movement. The group says building stadiums to host the World Cup was too costly, caused real estate prices to soar, and forced lower-income families out of their homes. Brasília's stadium will cost $850 million when the surrounding landscaping is finished after the World Cup, city auditors said in a report published last week, almost three times the price tag first budgeted. Brazil is rushing to finish stadiums and urban transport systems in time for the World Cup. The tournament now serves as a backdrop to push for variety of causes, and bus drivers in Rio de Janeiro said on Tuesday they would start a 24-hour strike at midnight while professors marched down Sao Paulo's main thruway to demand a raise. Local soccer fans lined up outside the Brasília stadium to see the World Cup trophy, which is touring the 12 cities hosting the games, but the protest march forced authorities to cancel the trophy display and close the stadium. Homily hint: How is it that nations always seem to find the funds to host high-profile events such as World Cups and Olympics while at the same time cutting back on social welfare and educational initiatives for supposed lack of funds? Spending reveals values, on a personal as well as a social level. Challenge elected leaders to put social needs first in the budget. Source: An article by Anthony Boadle and Caroline Stauffer for Reuters

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Officials try to keep fix out of World Cup

08 Jun 2014 - Preaching the News for Sunday

“And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim,” says the Acts of the Apostles this Sunday—different tongues which represented many languages and peoples. The world will be paying attention to many different languages as it prepares for the opening of the World Cup on June 12.The Holy Spirit did not have soccer match-fixing in mind when the tongues of fire came down to inspire the disciples to evangelize, but reports obtained by The New York Times have shown that there were at least five games in the previous World Cup in South Africa that were tampered with by referees. A company based in Singapore contacted individuals to work for them and was a front for a notorious match-rigging syndicate, according to the confidential report.Ralf Mutschke, the head of security for the international soccer body FIFA, said in an interview with FIFA.com that “match fixing is an evil to all sports” and he acknowledged that the World Cup was vulnerable. “The fixers are trying to look for football matches which are generating a huge betting volume, and obviously, international football tournaments such as the World Cup are generating these kinds of huge volumes,” Mutschke said. “Therefore, the World Cup in general has a certain risk.”FIFA is expected to collect about $4 billion in revenue for this four-year World Cup cycle from broadcast fees, sponsorship deals, and ticket sales.Homily hint: Brazil is hosting the World Cup tournament, which runs from June 12 to July 13 and will include 32 teams. International sports mega-events like the World Cup mean passionate interest for millions, but they are also prime opportunities for corruption, crime, and exploitation, like that associated with gambling and human trafficking. They also raise significant questions about the just appropriation of resources (see the Preaching the News item for June 1). Source: An article by Declan Hill and Jeré Longman for the New York Times

world cup gambling match fixing

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