Pope: 'sport is a place of unity
and encounter'
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| Golden Gala athletics event in Rome. AFP |
Pope Francis has lauded ‘sport’ as a “meeting place where
people of all levels and social conditions come together to reach a common
aim”. It is a privileged space, he said, of unity and encounter.
By Linda Bordoni
In a letter addressed to Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Prefect
of the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life on Friday, Pope
Francis reflected on how precious sport is in current
culture which, he said, is “dominated by individualism and the gap between the
younger generations and the elderly”
A place of unity and encouter
“Sports, the Pope said, is a privileged area around which
people meet without any distinction of race, sex, religion, or ideology”.
It’s where “we can experience the joy of competing to reach
a goal together, participating in a team, where success or defeat is shared and
overcome”.
This, he said, helps us to reject the idea of conquering an
objective by focusing only on ourselves.
The Pope’s letter came as the Dicastery for Laity, Family
and Life presented a new document entitled “To
Give the Best of Oneself. On the Christian Perspective of Sport and of the
Human Person.”
Pope Francis spoke of the need for a team spirit that helps
each one of us give the best of ourselves.
“When a father plays with his son, when children play
together in the park or at school, when an athlete celebrates the victory with
his or her supporters, in all these environments we can see the value of sports
as a place of unity and encounter between people. We reach great results, in
sports as in life, together, as a team!” he said.
A formative vehicle for the young
The Pope also reflected on the value of sports as a
‘formative vehicle’ for the young who look to sportsmen and are inspired by
them.
He pointed out that athletes exemplify the virtues of
generosity, humility, sacrifice, constancy, and cheerfulness and they
contribute to the group spirit, to respect, healthy competition, and solidarity
with others.
Pope Francis also emphasized the role of sports as a “means
for the mission and sanctification” explaining that the Church is called to be
a sign of Jesus Christ in the world, also through the sports practiced in
oratories, parishes, schools, and associations.
“Every occasion is good for announcing Christ’s message,
whether the time is favorable or unfavorable” the Pope said quoting from St.
Paul’s letter to Timothy.
And describing sports as the “discovery of the human
potentials that incite us to unveil the beauty of creation and of the human
being, made in the image and likeness of God” he said “sports can open the way
to Christ in those places or environments where, for different reasons, it is not
possible to announce Him directly”.
A call to give the 'best of oneself'
Pope Francis also said that to give the best of oneself in
sports is also a call to aspire to holiness and he expressed his conviction
that young people nurture the hope of giving the best of themselves, the
important thing is “that each believer discern his or her own path, that they
bring out the very best of themselves, the most personal gifts that God has
placed in their hearts.”
Pope Francis concluded his message with the exhortation to
deepen the close connection that exists between sport and life drawing on the
fact that an athletic discipline also serves as a stimulus to always improve as
a person, in all of life’s aspects.
Sport, he concluded, is a very rich source of values and
virtues that help us to become better people, training, practicing, discovering
our limits without fear, struggling daily to improve.
In this way, “to the extent that each Christian grows in
holiness, he or she, he said, will bear greater fruit for our world.”
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