The bishops are critical that billions of dollars were spent on stadiums, but Brazil's public services are still poor.

In a red card-shaped brochure distributed in churches, the Brazilian bishops' conference urged their government to respect people's right to demonstrate against the tournament.

The bishops criticised World Cup organisers for evicting hundreds of poor people from areas near stadiums, ignoring environmental regulations and surrendering the sport to "big corporations".

They also urged authorities to combat sexual exploitation during the World Cup.

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