Olympic athletes barred from Tokyo churches

WelCom August 2021 Due to the spread of Covid-19, no Catholic parish in Tokyo is open to the nearly 10,000 Olympic athletes competing in the city from 23 July to…

WelCom August 2021

Due to the spread of Covid-19, no Catholic parish in Tokyo is open to the nearly 10,000 Olympic athletes competing in the city from 23 July to 8 August 2021, and the Paralympic Games between 24 August and 5 September 2021. Archbishop Tarcisio Isao Kikuchi announced his decision in a message to the faithful of Tokyo. ‘The Tokyo Archdiocese had originally been considering preparations so each parish may be able to address the spiritual needs of the many people who would come to Japan for the international event,’ Kikuchi wrote. ‘However, we have decided to cancel all plans and thus, will not take any special involvement in the Olympics and Paralympics.’