A temporary church will be set up in the Olympic Village during
the 2008 Games for Catholic athletes, and all churches in Beijing
will be open to Catholic tourists, a senior official has said.
The Beijing diocese is training priests fluent in foreign
languages to celebrate Mass during the upcoming Games, said Liu
Bainian, vice-president of the Chinese Catholic Patriotic
Association.
"All will be arranged in accordance with the practices adopted
by other Olympics host cities," he said.
According to Games organizers, a religious service center will
be set up in the Olympic Village with professional religious
personnel providing services to meet the needs of athletes from
various religious convictions.
Athletes and those who accompany them can enjoy different dishes
specially made in accordance with their religious beliefs, the
organizers said.
Religious services and information will be available in Beijing
as well as the six other co-host cities.
A total of 60 volunteers from the five major religions in China
-- Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Christianity and Catholicism --
recently attended a three-day training session organized by the
Beijing municipal administration of religious affairs for providing
religious services during the Games.
(China Daily September 4, 2007)