Pope Leo XIV has released a 20-page document outlining his views on the importance of sport, timed to coincide with the upcoming Olympic Games. The writing explores sport’s potential for personal growth and global harmony, but also tackles challenges such as commercialization, doping, and corruption within the athletic world. Released this Friday, the document builds upon the Pope’s previous calls for an “Olympic Truce” and emphasizes the need to center the human being within all aspects of competition here.
Pope Leo XIV, reportedly a passionate tennis enthusiast, has released a comprehensive “writing on the importance of sport” just ahead of the Olympic Games.
Stefan von Kempis – Vatican City
The 20-page document praises sport’s value in education and personal development, highlighting its contribution to global peace and describing it as “a school of life and an agora of the present.” The Pope’s message doesn’t shy away from critical issues, addressing concerns surrounding star power, “gamification,” doping, and corruption within the sporting world. “It is obvious that money is needed to support sporting activities… problems arise when business becomes the primary or exclusive motivation.”
A Firm Stance Against Doping and Corruption
Pope Leo has repeatedly advocated for a revival of the ancient tradition of an “Olympic Truce.” He emphasized that, from a Christian perspective, “the human being must always be at the center of sport in all its forms, including competitive and professional sports.” He also called for sport to “be accessible to all people who wish to practice it,” extending this principle to “the training of religious orders, especially female ones.”
The Pope believes that adhering to rules and accepting limitations in competition offer valuable lessons for everyone. Regarding fans, while acknowledging “playful banter” is acceptable, he strongly cautioned against polarization and violence. “Then cheering transforms from an expression of support and connection into fanaticism; the stadium becomes a place of confrontation instead of encounter.”
Stadiums Aren’t Cathedrals…
The Vatican document expresses skepticism about “attributing an almost religious function to sport” – such as describing stadiums as “secular cathedrals.” Such “sacralization,” the document argues, not only disrespects sport but also the “spiritual dimension of life.” “When sport claims to replace religion, it loses its character as a game and as a service to life; it becomes absolute, all-consuming and incapable of relativizing itself.”
Pope Leo’s writing also mentions Athletica Vaticana, the Vatican sports association. Founded in 2018, the team “demonstrates that sport can also be understood as an ecclesiastical service, especially in favor of the poorest and most vulnerable. Here, sport is not a spectacle, but proximity; not selection, but accompaniment; not a bitter competition, but a common path.”
(vatican news)
