In a letter addressed to His Eminence Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Prefect of the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life, Holy Father 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”. The Pontiff’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”.
As reported by Vatican Radio, Holy Father Pope Francis remarked that “Sports 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 helps us to reject the idea of conquering an objective by focusing only on ourselves.” Further, His Holiness added, “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!”
His Holiness Pope Francis also reflected on the value of sports as a ‘formative vehicle’ for the young who look to sportsmen and are inspired by them. Holy Father 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. The Pontiff concluded his letter by highlighting that “Sport 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.”
