London's Churches lead Olympic 'journey to peace'

London's Churches lead Olympic 'journey to peace'

The idea of an Olympic truce traces its origins back to the 8th century BC when a literal ‘laying down of arms’ was observed to allow athletes and spectators to travel safely to and from the Games in ancient Greece. Over recent years that ideal has been revived in order to promote peace and greater international cooperation in our contemporary world.

For the London 2012 Olympic Games, Christian Churches in the UK have also picked up the theme of 100 days of peace around this major sporting event, encouraging communities to come up with new ways of promoting peace in homes and schools, parishes and dioceses, in the hopes of leaving a lasting legacy for the nation, long after the Olympic torch has moved on.100 days of peace will be launched at an all night prayer vigil in London’s central Trafalgar Square on Friday June 8th by Church leaders including Archbishop Vincent Nichols of Westminster and the Anglican Bishop of London Richard Chartres. Among the projects designed to support this push for peace is a publication entitled ‘Your Journey to Peace’, produced by Redemptorist Publications, in partnership with ‘Missio’ and the faith based ‘More Than Gold’ Olympic organisation.

Philippa Hitchen spoke with one of the editors and former Vatican Radio colleague, Sr Janet Fearns….

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