Athletes and officials of all faith can pray in the Olympic Village, and many religious places and multi-language priests are geared up to provide a serene religious atmosphere to visitors in Beijing.

A multi-faith center with 66 religious staff and volunteers opened in the village on Sunday where services of the world's major religions, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism and Judaism, can be held.

"It's an international practice to host religious services for athletes and officials," Liu Hongliang, an official with Beijing Christian Council, said yesterday.

"Meditation rooms have been built for athletes and officials who believe in other faiths too," he said.

Wang Jungang, a Christian priest, said he would hold a mass every Sunday morning and offer counseling to athletes and officials.

"If athletes feel nervous before a competition, I will try to calm them down," the English-speaking Wang said.

Yin Guofang, of Beijing's Niujie Mosque and one of the 15 imams in the village, said: "Our main job will be to provide a place for athletes to read the Koran and pray when they cannot go to a mosque because of their schedule."

The 100-sq-m hall for Muslims, who pray five times a day, will have separate enclosures for men and women. The Koran will be available free in the enclosures, each of which has three rows of rugs, a red wooden altar and ablution facilities.

"The Games is not only about competition, but also a window to let the world see the freedom all religions enjoy in China," Yin said.

Tourists will find many places to pray and attend multi-language services.

Father Matthew Zhen Xuebin, secretary general of the Catholic Church of the Beijing diocese, said masses in the city's Catholic churches would be held in many languages.

"The Catholic Church at Xuanwumen will conduct two masses in English every Sunday. And other churches will hold masses in German, Italian, Spanish and French on the request of overseas organizations," Zhen said.

The churches have employed volunteers, who can speak foreign languages, to help visitors both from home and abroad and to distribute free new tour guide brochures.

The China Christian Council has printed 100,000 copies of the New Testament in a Chinese-English bilingual edition, which will be distributed free. Organizers of the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, too, had distributed copies of the Bible free.

Some of the copies of the New Testament have already been dispatched to the Olympic Village and churches in Beijing and co-host cities.

The Bible provides comfort and can calm down a harried soul, especially an athlete or traveler, said Xu Xiaohong, secretary general of the Beijing Committee of the Three-Self Patriotic Movement of the Protestant Church.

Source: China Daily