By Justin McLellan, Catholic News Service
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Sport, with its demands for self-giving, collaboration and perseverance, reflects the beauty and dynamic love of God, Pope Leo XIV said.
Celebrating Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica June 15 to conclude the Jubilee of Sport, the pope told athletes and sports professionals that “every good and worthwhile human activity is in some way a reflection of God’s infinite beauty, and sport is certainly one of these.”
The Mass, attended by a variety of teams and groups in colorful sporting jerseys, marked the conclusion of a weekend of celebrations of the world of sport throughout Rome. Pilgrims and athletes participated in events including a procession through the Holy Door, panel discussions with athletes on sports and hope, and a sports village in the center of the city intended to bring together the world of athletics with faith, prayer and fraternity.
The celebration coincided with the feast of the Holy Trinity, a convergence the pope said was not accidental. Speaking on the relational nature of the Trinity, he noted how “the life of God is a kind of ‘dance'” of “mutual love.”
“Sport can thus help us to encounter the Triune God, because it challenges us to relate to others and with others, not only outwardly but also, and above all, interiorly,” he said.
Reflecting on the Italian word “Dai!” — often shouted by fans to cheer athletes and which literally means “Give!” — the pope said sport is not just about performance. Instead, “it is about giving of ourselves, putting ourselves ‘in play.'”
“Being a ‘good sport’ is more important than winning or not,” he said.
Quoting St. John Paul II, he described sport as “joy of life, a game, a celebration,” and emphasized its role in building friendship and openness, “quite apart from the harsh laws of production and consumption and all other purely utilitarian and hedonistic approaches to life.”
Pope Leo then outlined three ways sport serves as a tool for human and Christian development. First, he said, it fosters a sense of community in an individualistic society. “Sport, especially team sports, teaches the value of cooperating, working together and sharing.”
Second, in a digital world where “technology brings distant people closer together yet often creates distances between those who are physically close,” sport offers real-life engagement and helps maintain “a healthy contact with nature and with real life, where genuine love is experienced.”
Third, the pope said that sport teaches the value of failure and resilience in a competitive culture. “Champions are not perfectly functioning machines, but real men and women, who, when they fall, find the courage to get back on their feet.”
He also pointed to figures like Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, patron of athletes, who is set to be canonized Sept. 7, as role models to follow in pursuing sainthood in the same way that one pursues athletic excellence. “Just as no one is born a champion, no one is born a saint,” he said. “It is daily training in love that brings us closer to final victory.”
Pope Leo urged athletes to live their vocation in the realm of sport with joy and faith.
“The church entrusts you with a beautiful mission: to reflect in all your activities the love of the Triune God,” he said. “Let us ask (Mary) to accompany our effort and enthusiasm, and to guide it always toward the greatest victory of all: the prize of eternal life on that playing field where games will never end, and our joy will be complete.”
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