LIFE IN ABUNDANCE
LETTER OF HIS HOLINESS
POPE LEO XIV
ON THE VALUE OF SPORT
_____________________
Dear brothers and sisters,
On the occasion of the celebration of the XXV Winter
Olympic Games, which are being held in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo from 6 to 22
February, and of the XIV Paralympic Games, which will be held in the same place
from 6 to 15 March, I wish to address my greeting and good wishes to those who
are directly involved, and at the same time, take this opportunity to offer a
reflection for everyone. Sport, as we know, can be very professional in nature
and highly specialized. As such, it is a calling for relatively few people,
even though it elicits the admiration and heartfelt enthusiasm of many who
identify with the victories or defeats of the athletes. But sport is also a
shared activity, open to all and salutary for both body and spirit, even
becoming a universal expression of our humanity.
Sport and the building of peace
On the occasion of past Olympic Games, my predecessors
have emphasized how sport can play an important role for the good of
humanity, especially in the promotion of peace. In 1984, for example, Saint John Paul II, speaking to young athletes from around the world,
quoted the Olympic Charter, which regarded sport as an important factor of
“better understanding between each other and of friendship, thereby helping to
build a better and more peaceful world.” [1] He encouraged the participants with these words:
“May your encounters be a symbolic sign for the whole of society and a prelude
to that new era, in which people shall not lift up the sword against another
(cf. Is 2:4).” [2]
It was in this spirit that the Olympic Truce emerged.
In ancient Greece there was once an agreement to suspend hostilities before,
during and after the Olympic Games, so that the athletes and spectators could
freely travel and the competitions could be held without interruption. The
institution of the Truce stems from the conviction that participation in public
games (agones) constitutes an individual and collective path toward
virtue and excellence (aretē). When we engage in sport with this spirit
and under these conditions, it promotes the growth of fraternal solidarity and
the common good.
On the other hand, war results from a radicalization
of conflict and a refusal to cooperate with each other. Thus, the adversary is
considered a mortal enemy, to be isolated and, if possible, eliminated. The
tragic evidence of this culture of death is before our eyes — lives broken,
dreams shattered, survivors’ trauma, cities destroyed — as if human coexistence
were superficially reduced to a videogame scenario. Yet, one must never forget
that aggression, violence and war are “always a defeat for humanity.” [3]
Fortunately, the Olympic Truce has been proposed anew
in recent times by the International Olympic Committee and the General Assembly
of the United Nations. In a world thirsting for peace, we need tools that can
put an “end to the abuse of power, displays of force and indifference to the
rule of law.” [4] On the occasion of the upcoming Winter Olympic
and Paralympic Games, I wholeheartedly encourage all Nations to rediscover and
respect this instrument of hope that is the Olympic Truce, a symbol and promise
of a reconciled world.
The formative value of sport
“I came that they may have life, and have it
abundantly” ( Jn 10:10). These words of Jesus help us to
understand the Church’s interest in sport and the manner in which Christians
approach it. Jesus always focused on people, cared for them and desired the
fullness of life for each of them. For this reason, Saint John Paul II affirmed that “man is the primary route that the
Church must travel in fulfilling her mission.” [5] Therefore, according to the Christian
perspective, the human person must always remain the focal point of sport in
all its expressions, even those aiming for competitive and professional
excellence.
Furthermore, a solid basis for this understanding can
be found in the writings of Saint Paul, known as the Apostle to the Nations. At
the time in which he wrote, the Greeks already had a long athletic tradition.
For example, the city of Corinth sponsored the isthmus games every two years
until the beginning of the sixth century B.C. For this reason, when writing to
the Corinthians, Paul made reference to images of sport to introduce them to
the Christian way of life. He says, “Do you not know that in a race the runners
all compete, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may
win it. Athletes exercise self-control in all things; they do it to receive a
perishable wreath, but we an imperishable one” (1 Cor 9:24-25).
Following the Pauline tradition, many Christian
authors use athletic imagery as a metaphor for describing the dynamics of the
spiritual life; and even today this makes us reflect upon the profound unity
between the different dimensions of human beings. While in past ages there were
Christian writings — influenced by dualistic philosophies — that had a rather
negative view of the body, mainstream Christian theology emphasized the
goodness of the material world, affirming that the human person is a unity of spirit,
soul and body. Indeed, ancient and medieval theology strongly rejected gnostic
and Manichean doctrines because the latter regarded the material world and the
human body as intrinsically evil. According to their teachings, the scope of
the spiritual life consisted in freeing oneself from the body and the world. In
response, Christian theologians countered with the fundamental beliefs of our
faith: the goodness of the world created by God, the fact that the Word became
flesh and the resurrection of the person, restoring the harmony of body and
soul.
This positive understanding of physical reality
favored the development of a culture in which the body, united to the soul, was
fully involved in religious practices: participation in pilgrimages,
processions, sacred plays, the sacraments and prayer that makes use of images,
statues and various figures.
With the establishment of Christianity in the Roman
Empire, the sporting events typical of Roman culture — in particular the
gladiatorial fights — progressively began to lose their social relevance.
Nevertheless, the medieval age marked the emergence of a new type of
sporting activity: the tournaments for knights. The Church also contributed to
these games by reinterpreting them in a Christian light, as exemplified by the
preaching of the abbot Saint Bernard of Clairvaux.
During this same period, the Church recognized the
formative value of sport, thanks to the contributions of figures like Hugh of
Saint Victor and Saint Thomas Aquinas. In his work Didascalicon, Hugh stressed
the importance of gymnastic activity in the curriculum of studies, thus
contributing to the formation of the medieval educational system. [6]
Saint Thomas Aquinas’ meditation on games and physical
exercise gave primary importance to “moderation” as the fundamental measure of
a virtuous life. According to Thomas, the virtuous life concerns not only work
or serious responsibilities, but also time for games and rest. Aquinas writes:
“Augustine says: ‘I pray thee, spare thyself at times: for it becomes a wise
man sometimes to relax the high pressure of his attention to work.’ Now this
relaxation of the mind from work consists in [diversions,] playful words or
deeds. Therefore it becomes a wise and virtuous man to have recourse to such
things at times.” [7] Indeed, Thomas recognized that people play games
because they are a source of pleasure and therefore they engage in them for
their own sake. Responding to an objection, whether a virtuous act must be
directed toward an end or goal, he observes, “Actions done for diversion are
not directed to any external end; but merely to the good of one who does them,
in so far as they afford him pleasure or relaxation.” [8] This “ethic of play” elaborated by Thomas
Aquinas had a remarkable influence on preaching and teaching.
Sport, a school of life and contemporary forum
The humanist Michel de Montaigne continued this long
tradition when he wrote in an essay on education: “It is not a soul, it is not
a body that is educated; it is a man: you must not divide him in two.” [9] This is the reason he gave to justify the
addition of physical education and sport to the school day. These principles
were applied in Jesuit schools, supported by the writings of Saint Ignatius of
Loyola, particularly from the Constitutions of the Society of Jesus and
the Ratio Studiorum. [10]
The work of great educators, from Saint Philip Neri to
Saint John Bosco, also fits into this context. The latter, through the
promotion of oratories, established a privileged bridge between the Church and
the younger generations, also making sport a field of evangelization. [11] In this vein, we can also recall Leo XIII’s Encyclical Rerum Novarum (1891), which stimulated the birth of numerous
Catholic sports associations, thus responding on a pastoral level to the
changing needs of modern life and emerging new trends. Here I think of the
conditions of workers after the industrial revolution. [12]
At the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries,
sport became a mass phenomenon. Further, the modern Olympic Games were born in
1896. Lay people and pastors devoted more careful and systematic attention to
this reality. Beginning with the pontificate of Saint Pius X (1903-1914), there was a growing interest in
sport, demonstrated by numerous papal pronouncements. Through the voice of the
popes, the Catholic Church proposed a vision of sport centered on the dignity
of the human person, on his or her integral development, on education and on
relationships with others, highlighting its universal value as a means of
promoting values such as fraternity, solidarity and peace. The question posed
by Venerable Pius XII in a speech addressed to Italian athletes in
1945 is emblematic: “How could the Church not be interested [in sport]?” [13]
The Second Vatican Council placed its positive assessment of sport in the
broader context of culture, recommending that “leisure time be used to relax
the mind and strengthen the health of the soul and body... also through
exercise and sporting events, which help to maintain the balance of the spirit
and offer an aid to establishing fraternal relations between people of all
conditions, nations and races.” [14] By reading the signs of the times, the Church’s
awareness of the importance of sport has grown. The Council represented a flourishing in this field:
reflections on sport in relation to the life of faith developed, and a
multiplicity of pastoral experiences in the field of sport revealed their
generative power in the following decades. The Dicasteries of the Holy See have
also promoted valuable initiatives in dialogue with this human endeavor. [15]
Two Jubilees of sport celebrated by Saint John Paul II were highly significant: the first on 12 April
1984, in the Year of Redemption; the second on 29 October 2000, at the Olympic
Stadium in Rome. The Jubilee of 2025 followed the same pattern, explicitly
emphasizing the cultural, educational and symbolic value of sport as a
universal human language of encounter and hope. This perspective
motivated the decision to welcome the Giro
d’Italia to the Vatican. This great cycling competition is a sporting
event, but also a popular phenomenon capable of transcending boundaries,
generations and social differences, reaching to the heart of the human
community on its journey.
At the same time, it is clear that sport was widely
present in cultures beyond those of the oldest Christian tradition. Even those
with only an oral tradition have left traces of playing fields, athletic
equipment, as well as images or sculptures related to their sporting practices.
Moreover, there is much to be learned from the sporting traditions of
indigenous cultures, African and Asian countries, the Americas and other
regions of the world.
Even today, sport continues to play a significant role
in most cultures. It offers a privileged space for relationship and dialogue
with our brothers and sisters belonging to other religious traditions, as well
as with those who do not identify with any religious tradition.
Sport and personal development
Some social science scholars can help us better
understand the human and cultural significance of sport and, consequently, its
spiritual significance. A relevant example is research on the so-called “flow
experience” in sport and other areas of culture. [16] This experience typically occurs among people
engaged in an activity that requires concentration and skill, when the level of
challenge matches or slightly exceeds their already acquired level. Consider,
for example, a prolonged rally in tennis: the reason this is one of the most
enjoyable parts of a match is that each player pushes the other to the limit of
his or her skill level. The experience is exhilarating, and the two players
challenge each other to improve; this is as true for two ten-year-olds as it is
for two professional champions.
Numerous studies have recognized that people are not
only motivated by money or fame, but can also experience joy and rewards
intrinsic to the activities they perform, namely by accomplishing them and
appreciating them for their own sake. In particular, it has been observed that
people experience joy when they give themselves fully to an activity or
relationship, progressing beyond where they were. Such dynamics promote the
growth of the person as a whole.
Furthermore, while engaging in sport, people often
focus their attention completely on what they are doing. There is a fusion
between action and awareness, to the point that there is no room for explicit
attention to oneself. In this sense, the experience reduces the tendency
towards egocentricity. At the same time, people describe a sense of union with
their surroundings. In team sport, this is usually experienced as a bond or
unity with teammates. The players are no longer focused on themselves because
they are part of a group working towards a common goal. Pope Francis repeatedly emphasized this aspect when
encouraging young athletes to be mindful of their teammates. For example, he
said: “Be team players. To belong to a sports club means to reject every form
of selfishness and isolation, it is an opportunity to encounter and be with
others, to help one another, to compete in mutual esteem and to grow in
brotherhood.” [17]
When team sports are not polluted by the worship of
profit, young people “put themselves on the line” in relation to something that
is very important to them. This is a tremendous educational opportunity. It is
not always easy to recognize one’s own abilities or understand how they can be
useful to the team. Moreover, working together with peers sometimes involves
dealing with conflicts and managing frustrations and failures. They even have
to learn to forgive (cf. Mt 18:21-22). In this way,
fundamental personal, Christian and civic virtues take shape.
Coaches play a fundamental role in creating an
environment in which these dynamics can be experienced, accompanying the
players through them. Given the human complexity involved, it is a great help
when a coach is guided by spiritual values. There are many coaches of this kind
in Christian communities and other educational settings as well as at the
competitive and professional elite levels. They often describe the team culture
as one based on love, which respects and supports each person, encouraging individuals
to do one’s best for the good of the group. When a young person is part of such
a team, they learn something essential about what it means to be human and to
grow. In fact, “it is only together that we can become our authentic selves.
Only through love does our inner life become profound and our identity
strong.” [18]
Furthermore, it is important to remember that,
precisely because sport is a source of joy and promotes personal development
and social relationships, it should be accessible to all who wish to
participate. In some societies that consider themselves advanced, where sports
are organized according to the principle of “pay to play,” children from poorer
families and communities are excluded because they cannot afford the
participation fees. In other societies, girls and women are not allowed to
participate in sports. Sometimes, in religious formation, especially of women,
there is a mistrust and fear of physical activity and sport. Therefore, we must
strive to make sport accessible to everyone. This is very important for human
development. The moving testimonies of the members of the Refugee Olympic Team,
or the participants in the Paralympics, the Special Olympics and the Homeless
World Cup have confirmed this for me. As we have seen, the authentic values of
sport naturally open up to solidarity and diversity.
Risks that threaten sporting values
Having considered how sport contributes to personal
development and serves the common good, we must now draw attention to the
dynamics that can undermine these benefits. This occurs primarily through a
form of “corruption” that is plain for all to see. In many societies, sport is
closely linked to economics and financial interests. It is clear that money is
necessary to support the sporting activities promoted by public institutions,
other civic bodies and educational institutions, as well as private competitive
and professional sports. Problems arise when business becomes the primary or
sole motivation. When this happens, decisions are no longer based on human
dignity or the best interests of the athletes, their integral development and
that of the community.
When the objective is to maximize profit, what can be
measured or quantified is overvalued to the detriment of the incalculable and
important human dimensions: “it only counts if it can be counted.” This
mentality creeps into sport when attention is obsessively focused on results
and the monetary rewards that winning can bring. In many cases, even at the
amateur level, commercial demands and values have come to overshadow the human
values of sport that ought to be safeguarded.
Pope Francis stressed the negative effects that such dynamics
can have on athletes, stating: “When sport is considered only within economic
parameters or for the sake of victory at any cost, one runs the risk of
reducing athletes to mere merchandise for the increasing of profit. The
athletes themselves enter into a system that sweeps them away, they lose the
true meaning of their activity, the joy of playing that attracted them as
children and that inspired them to make many real sacrifices and become
champions. Sport is harmony, but if the excessive quest for money and success
prevails, that harmony is broken.” [19]
When economic interests become the primary or
exclusive focus, even professional and elite athletes risk focusing their
attention on themselves and their performance, neglecting the community aspect
of the game and betraying its social and civic value. Sport, on one hand, is an
activity whose values benefit all those who take part and has the power to
humanize interpersonal relationships, even in difficult situations. On the
other hand, a disproportionate focus on money draws attention back to oneself in
an explicit and reductive way. Here too, we can apply the words of Jesus: “No
one can serve two masters” (Mt 6:24).
A particular risk arises when the financial benefits
of success in sport are prioritized over the intrinsic value of participation.
The dictatorship of performance can lead to the use of performance-enhancing
substances and other forms of dishonesty, and can cause participants in sport
to focus on their own financial well-being rather than on loyalty to their
sport. When financial incentives become the sole criterion, individuals and
teams may also fall prey to subjecting their performance to the corruption and
influence of the gambling industry. Such dishonesty not only corrupts sporting
activities themselves, but also demoralizes the general public and undermines
the positive contribution of sport to society as a whole.
Competition and the culture of encounter
On a broader scale, sporting competitions can also
play an important role in fostering unity among people. It is interesting to
note that the word competition is derived from two Latin words: cum meaning “together,”
and petere meaning “to ask.” In a competition, therefore, it
can be said that two people or two teams strive together for excellence. They
are not mortal enemies. And in the time before or after the competition, there
is usually an opportunity to meet and get to know one another.
For this very reason, authentic sporting competition
presupposes a shared ethical accord: the sincere acceptance of the rules and
respect for the integrity of the contest. Rejecting doping and all forms of
corruption, for example, is not merely a disciplinary issue, but one that
touches the very heart of sport. Artificially altering one’s performance or
buying results breaks the essence of cum-petere, turning the shared
pursuit of excellence into the subjugation of individuals or groups.
True sport, instead, fosters a peaceful relationship
with limits and rules. Limits are boundaries to be respected: they give meaning
to effort, making progress measurable and merit recognizable. Rules are the
shared “grammar” that makes the game itself possible. Without them, there would
be no competition or encounter, only chaos or violence. Accepting the limits of
one’s body, the limits of time and fatigue, and respecting the established
rules means recognizing that success comes from discipline, perseverance and
loyalty.
In this sense, sport offers valuable lessons that
extend beyond the playing field. It teaches us that we can strive for the
highest level without denying our own fragility; that we can win without
humiliating others; and that we can lose without being defeated as individuals.
Fair competition thus safeguards a deeply human and communal dimension. It does
not divide, but brings people together; it does not focus solely on the result,
but values the journey; it does not idolize performance, but recognizes the
dignity of those who play.
Fair competition and a culture of encounter apply not
only to players, but also to spectators and fans. For many fans, the sense of
belonging to one’s team can be a very important element of their identity: they
share the joys and disappointments of their heroes and find a sense of
community with other supporters. This is typically a positive force within
society, a source of friendly rivalry and playful banter, but it can become
problematic if it turns into a source of polarization that leads to verbal and
physical violence. In this case, instead of being an expression of support and
participation, fandom becomes fanaticism, and the stadium becomes a place of
confrontation rather than encounter. As a result, sport ends up as a source of
division rather than unity, and a negative influence rather than a form of
education, because it reduces personal identity to a blind and oppositional
sense of belonging. It is particularly worrying when fandom is linked to other
forms of political, social and religious discrimination and used indirectly to
express deeper forms of resentment and hatred.
In particular, international competitions offer a
privileged opportunity to experience our shared humanity in all its rich
diversity. Indeed, there is something deeply moving about the opening and
closing ceremonies of the Olympic Games, when we see the athletes parade with
their national flags and in the traditional garments of their countries.
Experiences such as these can inspire us and remind us that we are called to
form one human family. The values promoted by sport — such as loyalty, sharing,
hospitality, dialogue, and trust in others — are common to every person,
regardless of ethnic origin, culture, or religious belief. [20]
Sport, relationships and discernment
Sport began as a relational experience, bringing
individuals together and introducing them to the stories, differences and
affiliations of others. Training together, competing fairly and sharing the
effort and joy of the game promotes encounters and builds bonds that overcome
social, cultural and linguistic barriers. In this sense, sport is a powerful
facilitator of social relationships; it creates communities, educates people to
respect common rules and teaches that results are not the fruit of a solitary journey.
However, precisely because it stimulates deep passions, sport also has its
limitations.
The educational significance of sport is particularly
evident in the relationship between victory and defeat. Winning is not simply
outdoing others, but recognizing the value of the journey, of discipline and of
shared commitment. Losing, in turn, does not entail personal failure, but can
become a lesson in truth and humility. Sport thus teaches us a deeper
understanding of life, in which success is never definitive and failure is
never the last word. Learning to accept defeat without despair and to welcome
victory without arrogance enables athletes to face reality in a mature way,
recognizing their own limits and possibilities.
At the same time, it is not uncommon for sport to be
invested with a quasi-religious dimension. Stadiums are perceived as secular
cathedrals, matches as collective liturgies and athletes as saviors. This
sacralization reveals an authentic need for meaning and communion, but risks
stripping both sport and the spiritual dimension of their essence. When sport
claims to replace religion, it loses its character as a game that benefits our
lives, becoming instead aggrandized, all-encompassing and absolute.
In this context, there is also the danger of
narcissism, which permeates the entire sporting culture today. Athletes can
become obsessed with their physical image and with their own success, measured
by visibility and approval. The cult of image and performance, amplified by
media and digital platforms, risks fragmenting the person, separating body from
mind and spirit. There is an urgent need to reaffirm integral care of the human
person; physical wellbeing cannot be separated from inner balance, ethical responsibility
and openness to others. We need to rediscover those who have combined passion
for sports, sensitivity to social issues and holiness. Among the many examples
I could give, I would like to mention Saint Pier Giorgio Frassati (1901-1925),
a young man from Turin who perfectly combined faith, prayer, social commitment
and sport. Pier Giorgio was passionate about mountaineering and often organized
excursions with his friends. Going on hikes in the mountains and immersing
himself in majestic landscapes allowed him to contemplate the greatness of the
Creator.
Yet another distortion of sport happens with the
political exploitation of international sporting competitions. When sport
succumbs to the mentality of power, propaganda or national supremacy, its
universal vocation is betrayed. Major sporting events are meant to be places of
encounter and mutual admiration, not stages for the affirmation of political or
ideological interests.
Contemporary challenges are intensified by the impact
of transhumanism and artificial intelligence on the world of sport.
Technologies applied to performance risk introducing an artificial separation
between body and mind, transforming the athlete into an optimized, controlled
product, enhanced beyond natural limits. When technology is no longer at the
service of the person but claims to redefine it, sport loses its human and
symbolic dimension, becoming a laboratory for disembodied experimentation.
Despite these dangers, sport possesses an
extraordinary capacity for inclusion. When played correctly, it creates
opportunities for participation for people of all ages, social conditions and
abilities, thereby serving as an instrument for promoting integration and
dignity.
Indeed, we see this realized in the experience
of Athletica Vaticana. Created in 2018 as the official team of the
Holy See and under the guidance of the Dicastery for Culture and Education, it bears witness to how sport can also be
experienced as an ecclesial service, especially towards the poorest and most
vulnerable. Here, sport is not about putting on a show, but about closeness; it
is not selection, but accompaniment; it is not exaggerated competition, but a
shared journey.
Finally, we must question the growing assimilation of
sport into the logic of video games. The extreme gamification of sport and the
reduction of experience to scores, levels and replicable performance risk
disconnecting sport from individuals and concrete relationships. The game,
which always involves risk, unpredictability and presence, is replaced by a
simulation that promises total control and instant gratification. Recovering
the authentic value of sport therefore means restoring its incarnational, educational
and relational dimension, so that it can continue to be a school of humanity
and not simply a device for consumers.
A pastoral approach to sport for life in abundance
An appropriate pastoral approach to sport stems from
the awareness that sport is an activity that forms imaginations, shapes
lifestyles and educates young generations. For this reason, it is necessary for
particular Churches to recognize sport as an opportunity for discernment and
accompaniment and to offer human and spiritual guidance. In this perspective,
it seems appropriate that, within Episcopal Conferences, there should be
offices or commissions dedicated to sport, where pastoral proposals can be developed
and coordinated, bringing together the sporting, educational and social
realities present in the various territories. Sport, in fact, unites parishes,
schools, universities, oratories, associations and neighborhoods. By
encouraging a shared vision, these offices can help avoid fragmentation and
enhance existing experiences.
At the local level, appointing a diocesan
representative and pastoral workers for sport responds to the same need for
proximity and continuity. Pastoral accompaniment of sport is not limited to
moments of celebration, but takes place over time through sharing the efforts,
expectations, disappointments and hopes of those who play daily on the field,
in the gym or on the street. This accompaniment concerns both the phenomenon of
sport as a whole, with its cultural and economic transformations, and the real
people who are engaged in it. The Church is called to be close to the world of
sport when it is played professionally, as an elite competition, or as an
opportunity for success or media exposure, but also through a particular
concern for grassroots sport, which often has a scarcity of resources but is
rich in relationships.
A good pastoral approach to sport can contribute
significantly to reflection on its ethical dimension. It is not a question of
imposing rules from outside, but of illuminating the meaning of sporting
activity from within, showing how the pursuit of results can coexist with
respect for others, for rules and for oneself. In particular, the harmony
between physical and spiritual development should be considered a constitutive
dimension of an integral vision of the human person. Sport thus becomes a place
for athletes to learn to take care of themselves without falling prey to
vanity, to push themselves to their limits without harming themselves and to
compete without losing sight of fraternity.
Another decisive task is reflecting and implementing
sporting practices as open and inclusive instruments for communion. Sport can
and must be a welcoming space, capable of involving people from different
social, cultural and physical backgrounds. The joy of being together, which
comes from shared play, common training and mutual support, is one of the
simplest and most profound expressions of a reconciled humanity.
In this context, those who play must be recognized and
accompanied. Their daily experience speaks of asceticism and sobriety, of
patient efforts to improve, of balance between discipline and freedom and of
respect for the rhythms of the body and mind. These qualities can illuminate
one’s entire social life. The spiritual life, in turn, offers them a
perspective that goes beyond performance and results. It introduces the sense
of exercise as a practice that forms the interior life. It helps to give meaning
to effort and to experience defeat without despair and success without
presumption, transforming training into human formation.
All this finds its ultimate meaning in the biblical
promise that gives this letter its title: life in abundance. This is not an
accumulation of successes or performances, but a fullness of life that
integrates our bodies, relationships and interior lives. In cultural terms,
life in abundance invites us to liberate sport from reductive mentalities that
would transform it into a mere spectacle or product. In pastoral terms, it
urges the Church to be present and to offer accompaniment, discernment and hope.
In this way, sport can truly become a school of life, where all can learn that
abundance does not come from victory at any cost, but from sharing, from
respecting others and from the joy of walking together.
From the Vatican, 6 February 2026
LEO PP. XIV
____________________________________________________________________________
[1] International Olympic Committee, Olympic
Charter 1984 (Lausanne, 1983), p. 6.
[2] John Paul II, Homily, Mass for the
Jubilee of Sport (Rome, Olympic Stadium, 12 April 1984), 3.
[3] John Paul II, Address to the Diplomatic Corps (13 January 2003), 4.
[4] International Meeting for
Peace. Religion and Culture in Dialogue (Rome, Colosseum, 28 October 2025).
[5] John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Redemptor Hominis (4 March 1979), 14.
[6] Cf. Hugh of Saint Victor, Didascalicon,
II, XXVII: ed. C.H. Buttimer, Washington, 1939, 44.
[7] Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae,
II-II, q. 168, art. 2.
[8] Ibid., I-II, q. 1, art 6, ad 1.
[9] M. de Montaigne, Les Essais, I, 25: ed. J. Balsamo et al., Paris
2007, 171.
[10] Cf. M. Kelly, Catholics and Sport: A
Historical and Theological Overview and Contemporary
Implications, in La
Civiltà Cattolica 2014 IV, 567-568.
[11] Cf. A. Stelitano, A. M. Dieguez, Q.
Bortolato, The Popes and Sport, Vatican City, 2015.
[12] Cf. Leo XIII, Encyclical Letter Rerum Novarum (15 May 1891), 36.
[13] Pius XII, Address to Italian Athletes (20
May 1945).
[14] Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Pastoral
Constitution Gaudium et Spes, 61.
[15] Cf. Dicastery for the Laity, the Family and
Life, Giving the Best of Oneself. Document on the Christian Perspective
on Sport and the Human Person (1 June 2018).
[16] Cf. M. Csikszentmihalyi, Beyond Boredom
and Anxiety. The Experience of Play in Work and Games. San
Francisco, 1975.
[17] Francis, Address to Members of the Sports
Associations for the 70th Anniversary of the Foundation of the CSI (7 June
2014).
[18] Meeting with the Authorities, Civil Society
and the Diplomatic Corps (Ankara, Turkey, 27 November 2025).
[19] Francis, Address to Members of the European
Olympic Committee (23 November
2013).
[20] Cf. Francis, Address to Soccer Players and
Promoters of the Interreligious Match for Peace (1
September 2014).
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