Church Cries Foul on Dutch Soccer Mass

Pastor suspended after praying for Holland to beat Spain
By Marie Morris,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 16, 2010 4:28 PM CDT
Church Cries Foul on Dutch Soccer Mass
Dressed in an orange in support of the Dutch soccer team, churchgoers attend Mass in Obdam, the Netherlands, Sunday June 11, 2010.   (AP Photo/Evert Elzinga)

A Dutch priest is in hot water for praying—in vain—that the Netherlands would defeat Spain at a Mass celebrated the day of the World Cup final, reports the BBC. Paul Vlaar decorated his church in the team color, orange; wore orange and white vestments; and played along as a churchgoer kicked a soccer ball down the aisle. He's been suspended so he can observe "a period of reflection," says his bishop. "Everybody supports Pastor Paul and we don't see what was so bad," a parishioner tells the AP.
(More Netherlands stories.)

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