Rome (CNS) ─ Pope Francis said that sport has great potential to bring people together, keep them healthy and even give them dreams, which is why the pastoral care of sport is so important.
“It is important for the church to reflect on its sports experience and properly evaluate its evangelization work,” he said on May 16 at the beginning of a three-day international conference on sports and spirituality organized by the Agency for Cultural Affairs and Education. said in a message read. and the French Embassy in the Holy See.
As sport grows in popularity and the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris approaches, it is important to understand the cultural roots of sport, identify risks, and assess the importance of sport in building a more fraternal society. “It’s important,” the organizers said. Their educational potential and, most importantly, their spiritual relevance deepens. ”
In his message, Pope Francis said that in the New Testament epistles, St. Paul many times compares the Christian life to a sporting event, especially a race, and in particular, “The praise is Christ himself. “Discipline, temperance, and health.” Competition has often been valued as a metaphor for the virtuous Christian life, and today this metaphor remains effective for all who desire to please God and be friends with God in some way. ”
And even for non-athletes, sporting events bring people together, form communities and “give dreams, especially to young people,” he said.
“This is why sport and education need to be pastorally managed on the basis of real values of competition, excluding selfishness and mere material gain,” the Pope said.
The big business of sport and the drive to win at all costs can lead to disillusionment among young people and even lead to abuse, the pope said.
“At all levels, sport should never lose its ‘amateur’ spirit that preserves its authenticity. And this style is closely related to the quality of mental life of the people who make up the sport.” he wrote. Environment: managers, coaches, trainers, athletes. ”
Bishop John O. Burress of Rockville Center, New York, represented the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops at the Rome event and shared a draft vision statement for athletics at The Catholic University of Washington, where he serves on the board. The statement emphasizes athletics as part of the university’s overall mission of evangelization, helping Catholic athletes and coaches grow in the faith, and encouraging non-Catholic students and coaches to ” We hope to demonstrate a sophisticated spirit of interreligious charity.
The bishop said that Catholic pastoral action in sports builds on Pope Francis’ 2013 recommendation, which specifically referred to how sports programs can promote the evangelization and growth of values, including Catholic social values. He said he would benefit from documents like “The Joy of the Gospel.” Education and human fraternity.
“Professional sports are major commercial industries focused on financial gain, often at the expense of human dignity,” he said. “Athletes are often viewed through the eyes of consumerism, huge paychecks and celebrity status, and a culture of manipulation and throwaways rather than through the eyes of God’s glory and human dignity.”
“We need to articulate bold evangelism and a global mission vision for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, the World Cup, the Tour de France and the Super Bowl,” he said. .
