South African bishops organize ‘parallel World Cup’

As the World Cup takes place in South Africa, the Southern African Catholic Bishops Conference (SACBC) has organized an International Soccer Peace Tournament to help bring together different socioeconomic groups.

“We’ve organized a parallel World Cup, to compliment the official one, with the soccer teams from all the realities of South Africa, from the townships to the more affluent neighborhoods,” said conference spokesman Antoine Soubrier. “In the last tournament, there were white South Africans who set foot for the first time in a township. And the results are very positive. We place much hope in this initiative to promote peace and understanding among all.”