Evangelistic programme to target Euro 2008 football enthusiasts

Churches in Austria and Switzerland are banding together to launch an evangelisation programme to target soccer enthusiasts. The two nations are joint hosting the Euro2008 football championship.

In a pastoral letter to Catholics in Austria, the head of the Roman Catholic Church in Austria, Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn, said it was a time for churches to reveal Christ to the people.

"These soccer events will offer young people from various countries a chance to meet," Cardinal Schoenborn told Ecumenical News International (ENI).

"Christians intend to enjoy them as much as other sports fans. By getting involved in Euro 2008, the churches will seek to reveal Christ to people."

The chairperson of Austria's Ecumenical Council of Churches, Lutheran Bishop, Herwig Sturm, said this would be the first time Christian churches would cooperate on such a broad scale and hoped a joyful and peaceful climate could prevail over each match.

Around 50,000 people are expected to attend the final soccer match to be held in June 2008.