Lviv gesture receives mass approval

Lviv has opened its doors to football fans for UEFA EURO 2012, and as they have been throughout Poland and Ukraine, local churches are doing their own bit to make visiting supporters welcome.

From 5 to 23 June, the churches of St Peter and Paul, the church of the Transfiguration of Christ and the Dominican cathedral and monastery have been celebrating mass in four languages: Ukrainian, Portuguese, English and German, with local priests hearing confession from believers of all nations. One of the coordinators of the project, Father Inokentij Voloshyn, told UEFA.com: "It's a chance to get positive emotions not only from football but also from the church. Our guests will see the diversity of our churches and their beauty. It will enable them to feel at home."

The three churches are all located near the centre of the city, with the Dominican establishment part of the old town, a UNESCO world heritage site. A group of German supporters were taking a look around the latter, with Benedict from Frankfurt grateful for the opportunity to hear mass.

"We have come here for the football," he told UEFA.com. "We have tickets for the matches and we didn't plan to come to church, but I am glad we did." His friend Volker agreed: "It's a great initiative. People will have the chance to fulfil their spiritual needs. Faith is a private matter, but I'm sure that this gesture will be popular."