Football and religion

On the day of the final of the football world cup a lot of people in The Netherlands were overjoyed that the Dutch team made it to the finals. But some went a bit (too) far: in the YouTube video above a Dutch priest turns the Sunday mass into some sort of football party. At first I thought it was a practical joke, but it seems to have been a real event. What I read in the Dutch press is that the Catholic church authorities were not amused and suspended the priest.

I don’t really have an opinion on this. For me religion, and the Catholic church in particular, is one big act already and at least this is a play that many people can relate to. But I can also understand the church authorities who feel their power over the church (and over the few remaining people who are still going to church) slipping through their fingers. As an outsider it’s funny to observe and I had a good laugh watching the semi-serious church goers in the clip. Maybe I should put the video on Tudou, I wonder what the Chinese would say about it.