During the games I was most struck by the fact that through all unnatural concepts you can destruct the beauty of sport, competition. I mean especially women's sports disciplines, which are naturally entered by individual stronger. We had examples of this. So if you advance equality like this, possibly you don't gotta divide disciplines into women and men, just combine them into one. – says Fr. Bishop Marian Florczyk – Doctor of Social Sciences, associate of the Permanent Council of the European Council; president of the Social Affairs Council; associate of the “Laudato si” group at the Social Affairs Council; associate of the Council for Youth Ministry; delegate of the European Youth Ministry for Sports in conversation with PCh24.pl.
Priest Bishop, how was the spiritual life of athletes organized during the Olympic Games?
– Organizers – erstwhile it comes to organizing spiritual life during the Olympic Games – have a primary interest in athletes. Athletes are believers – not just our players, but athletes who come from all over the world. Of course, they belong to different religions, so in the Olympic village, prayer places have long been organized. We Catholic chaplains call these places chapels. These rooms are rather large, adapted to prayer for the group of the peculiar religion. There was always a chapel for Catholics, Protestants, there was a Buddhist, muslim chapel – so that all athlete could realize his religion during the Olympic Games.
How was prayer in the Olympic village in fresh years?
In this respect, the Olympic Games in Beijing, the summertime Games in 2008, the Winter Games in Sochi, Russia in 2014, and the London Games, were very beautifully organized. For example, there was a specially built chapel in Beijing that could accommodate up to eighty people. There were stations of the Cross in the chapel, there was the Blessed Sacrament, there was a priest on duty. Always to specified a center of prayer, which was known in the Olympic village and which athletes knew about – you could go, pray. These chapels were adapted for both individual and common prayer. In these “rooms” we could hold a Mass for athletes. It was so well organized that it was on the spot, that is, in the Olympic village.
Man is simply a spirit and a body, and 1 cannot forget that athletes are besides believers. How was the Holy Mass reported?
We said, we put out announcements, that there'd be Mass that day. The Eucharist was attended by athletes, but I would like to stress that they besides came to individual prayer. The organization of spiritual life should be geared towards athletes, activists and trainers who are there. This year was a small different. As we mentioned, there was a multi-denominational center with a Christian room, so there was no separate area for Catholics.
Which is?
There was a area common to Catholics, Orthodoxes and evangelicals. But it was impossible to celebrate the Holy Mass. I think the organizers had a plan to make this centre a place of individual prayer. A church outside the Olympic village was appointed for the Holy Mass. At the centre the bishop was on work – a typical of the French Episcopate and leaders of another denominations, so were besides present representatives of the Orthodox, Hebrew and Muslim denominations.
With athletes in mind, the church and Christmas Mass outside the Olympic village?
This solution active difficulties for athletes in particular. It should be added that organizers, apart from the church located close the village, have besides designated the church of St Mary Magdalene in the centre of Paris.
It's a small strange, due to the fact that from what you're saying, it wasn't like this before?
Maybe there's no applicable sense. The athlete does not have adequate time to leave the village at any time and go to Mass to a distant church. 1 must remember that athletes have a life organized and it is easier for them to go to Mass if it is in place, in the Olympic village. For us Catholics, Holy Mass is simply a central and community prayer. At the erstwhile games at Holy Mass there was always a large group. Not only Poles came. Now it was more hard to organize a Mass for people of sport, due to the fact that it active going outside the Olympic village.
Priest Bishop was celebrating Mass in this church downtown?
Yes, I celebrated in this church close the village. For the celebration of the Holy Mass, you had to arrange before, ask for the beginning of this church. An athlete came to the Eucharist that I did not know – it turned out to be a boxer from Croatia. He came to church, and in the afternoon he had a fight. It was evident that he wanted to pray, and in the ecumenical center the atmosphere was not conducive to prayer. I was caught up in his faith.
What did the Croatian boxer say?
That he can't see his sports life without faith. religion gives him strength and indicates the principles of life.
There were athletes coming to the second church, which was designated for prayer?
I was besides at the church of St Magdalene, but I did not celebrate the Holy Mass there. However, due to the distance from the Olympic village – he was not frequently visited by athletes.
So far, during the Olympics, we were entering into relations with local emigration. It was besides a pastoral task. Poles are around the world, hence there are Polish parishes. The parish at Holy Mass invited the parishioners and representatives of Poland. So it was now. I celebrated Mass respective times in the Polish church in the centre of Paris, including on Sunday, August 4. The Eucharist was attended by activists and many migrants. During the Olympic Games there is simply a place for religion – it became the primary motivation for organizing the Olympics. The invention of modern times is what was visible during these games – 1 wants to break distant athletics from religion.
And erase what's been a tradition for centuries?
If we scope for the ancient games held in Greece – I emphasize: in the pagan world, the games were organized in honor of the god Zeus. It was the time of God's peace. War has been interrupted for the time of the games. It was a time of calling to a life worthy of respect for man. The symbol of spiritual life is the sacred fire that burned during ancient games, before Zeus was beaten. Already at the time, fire was an attribute of God.
The symbolism of fire continues to this day, is very alive in our lives, in churches. An olive lamp was on fire before the Tabernacle due to the fact that this is simply a holy place. Similarly, the flame in the candles on the altar reminds us that this is simply a holy place. He had passed--the light of Christ. Always during the modern games the flame was lit in Greece and was carried to the place of the games by distinguished athletes. Then, at the stadium, he was brought in a solemn and lit Olympic niche – a holy fire that was visible from afar. It was not to be extinguished due to the fact that there was a superstition that if it did, there might be any misfortune. This symbolism was shaken and illegible at the beginning of the Paris Olympics.
Games in past were organized for the community, hence they were organized at the stadium. The symbolism of the community, the stadium was besides not sufficiently presented. I would like to stress that in symbols – both the flame and the stadium, there are spiritual values: holiness, peace or human dignity.
What image goes into the planet after what happened in Paris?
I'm afraid we don't announcement that sports life is beginning to be torn distant from the thought of olympism. It should be noted that people come to the games, for whom religion, religion is very important. Believers should be able to respect their God.
Respect? Where did the beginning ceremony show respect? How was he shown?
Please note that the beginning ceremony of the Olympic Games did not only blur the symbols we are talking about: the flame, stadium and respect for religion. In order to reduce the function of religion, even disrespect for art was used. I mean, the last supper. Saying that this is simply a mention to another image is incorrect arguments. The Last Supper is known to all. I wonder how not only believers felt, but people of art, artists. I wonder how the people of Milan felt, where the image of the Last Supper is. You're not allowed to mock specified crucial matters! That's what caused the anxiety of the heart. Where are we to let specified things!? What happened is very dangerous for social, artistic and sporting life.
But there were athletes who went to church, attended the Holy Mass, and before the competition they made a sign of the cross?
See how many athletes wear a cross. Not just Polish athletes. What was interesting to me was the fact that quite a few athletes from Africa made a sign of the cross. American athletes besides behaved beautifully. spiritual character during these games was inactive visible. Pastors come with representations, which is why I didn't go to the competition and visit Paris. My function is to be with athletes, activists, trainers, as well as migrants who are happy that Polish athletes are among them. This is to aid with spiritual needs. However, due to the fact that this year the church where the Holy Mass could be celebrated was outside the Olympic village it was a small more hard than in the earlier games where I was.
What shocked you most during these games?
During the games I was most struck by the fact that through all unnatural concepts you can destruct the beauty of sport, competition. I mean especially women's sports disciplines, which are naturally entered by individual stronger. We had examples of this. So, if you're going to advance equality like this, then possibly you don't gotta divide disciplines into men and women, just combine them into one.
What reflections?
I think we are in an advanced process of building a planet without value, without a deeper reflection on life, without wisdom – what life is. All areas of individual or social life are subject to various ideologies that bring confusion in the order of social life. What has been considered good so far is wrong. delight note that life has always been built on natural law. It came from the nature of man and the world. What do you do now? It blurs nature. We're expected to be equal, but there's no equality in nature. There's a man and a woman. And in this aspect, athletics loses its beauty and athletes experience pain. There is simply a clear deficiency of reflection, wisdom and blurring the foundations applicable to individual, social, and so sports life. We hurt ourselves.
I would ask for a deep and wise reflection on life, on natural law, not easy support for ideology.
Thank you for talking.
Marta Dybińska
