Three cheers for sport
International
As the Church celebrated the Jubilee of Sport on Trinity Sunday, Pope Leo XIV, a keen tennis player, spoke of three aspects of sport that make it “a precious means of human and Christian formation”.
“First of all, in a society marked by loneliness…sport teaches the value of collaboration, of walking together, of that sharing which, as we have said, is at the very heart of God’s life…,” he said.
“Secondly, in an increasingly digital society, in which technology, while bringing distant people closer, can often distance those who are already close, sport enhances the concreteness of being together, the sense of the body, of space, of effort, of real time.
“Thus, it helps us fight the temptation to escape into virtual worlds, it helps to maintain a healthy contact with nature and with real life, the place where love is exercised.
“Thirdly, in a competitive society, where it seems that only the strong and the winners deserve to live, sport also teaches us how to lose, putting humanity in touch, through the art of defeat, with one of the deepest truths of our condition: our fragility, our limits, and our imperfections.”
Pope Leo said sport was not just a matter of giving a physical performance but rather, of giving oneself, of ‘playing’.
“It is about giving yourself for others – for your own growth, for your supporters, for your loved ones, for your coaches, for your collaborators, for the public, even for your opponents – and, if you are truly a sportsman, this is true irrespective of the result.”
For updates on the Jubilee Year, visit iubilaeum2025.va
