Located in the Olympic Village, the multi-faith centre welcomes athletes, their staff and volunteers who wish to attend during the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
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In front of a large gray prefabricated building, located at the southern end of the Olympic village in Saint-Denis (Seine-Saint-Denis), far from the hustle and bustle, two priests, three Protestant chaplains and a rabbi are talking in the shade of a tree, Tuesday, July 23. These religious figures, accredited for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, are attached to the village’s multi-faith center.
“This centre exists at each Games at the request of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). It is in the specifications of the organisers”, remember Jeanne Le Comte du Colombier, Project Manager of the Multifaith Centre of the Olympic and Paralympic Village. The place is intended to be discreet, with only a few barriers decorated with the “Games look” and a pink poster overlooking the entrance, indicating “Welcome to the multi-faith center” And “Multifaith center reception” in English.
In this space, 160 religious people, from five religions (Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist and Hindu) will take turns during the Games. Until August 11 (it will reopen for the Paralympics), chaplains, priests, rabbis, imams, Buddhist and Hindu monks will be alongside the athletes and their staff, as well as volunteers who wish to be there. They will have a role of listening and spiritual support. “We cannot separate the physical part from the spiritual part and this is also the case for athletes,” emphasizes the chief rabbi, Moshe Lewin.
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“Spirituality is not taken into account in the staffs, unlike the physical and mental aspect, and is relegated to the private sphere, regrets Jérémie Del Zotto, Protestant chaplain. That’s why we’re here, to meet their needs, to talk to them. We’re at their service.” All have training in theology and at least a university degree in chaplaincy. Some are also chaplains in prisons, hospitals and the army. “We also followed a Paris 2024 training to take care of people in distress,” explains the Buddhist monk, Céline Maillot, and her religious name, Ane Sonam.
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Rooms dedicated to individual interviews have been set up as well as an information desk to announce upcoming times of recollection, religious celebration or meditation. Right next door, prayer rooms have also been set up, one next to the other. Each religion has decorated its space. In the room reserved for Christians, the symbols of the three religions are represented, including a Catholic cross, a Protestant Bible and Orthodox icons. Books, posters and small spaces separated by white curtains make up the room.
“Everything is done to make them feel at home.”
Jérémie Del Zotto, Protestant chaplainto franceinfo: sport
The Buddhist monks, located to the right of the Christians, come out to get some air in front of their prayer room. “We welcome anyone who wants to take a break, either to pray or to meditate. Here, we have a space outside of time,” slide it Buddhist monk Ane Sonam. Here, we can talk about everything, sports or something else, but always with a different perspective, a little further from the world of sports.
The Jewish prayer room is more neutral in decoration, with only a shelf, a few books and photos fixed to the wall of the largest synagogues in the world, such as the oldest in France in Carpentras or the Portuguese synagogue in Amsterdam, known for its lighting entirely by candles. “It was important that every Jew who comes to pray can find the atmosphere he knows,” presents the Chief Rabbi, Moshe Lewin.
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Only a door separates the Jewish prayer room from that of the Muslims. “We leave it open because we find this gesture strong in terms of symbolism, explain Najat Benali, head of the Muslim chaplaincy. As the rooms are small,“If they need more space on some days, they can use our room, and vice versa.” Because here, geopolitical conflicts are left outside. “There is a very good understanding between all of us,” confirms the Protestant chaplain Jean-Pierre Mihaljevic, while showing a photo on his phone taken the day before with all the religious representatives in front of the Olympic rings of the village.
“In society, we don’t often see religions gathered together like this. Here, we prefer to talk about ‘geofraternity’ rather than geopolitics.”
Moshe Lewin, Chief Rabbito franceinfo: sport
The Muslim prayer room, located opposite small cabins reserved for ablutions, is the most neutral room of the five religions represented. “We didn’t decorate the room in order to be as universal as possible and so that everyone could make the place their own,” present Najat Benali. Once the shoes are left in front of the front door, we discover a room divided in two by screens, the left part for men and the right for women. Only two imam rugs can be seen in the room, placed on the floor, under an A4 sheet in a transparent pocket, on which a green triangle with the term has been printed “Qibla”, which gives the direction in which the faithful must turn for prayer. Decorated or not, each prayer room fulfills its role parenthesis for the athletes. Impervious to the pressure of the Games.