Pope Leo XIV Highlights Sports' Role in Unity
Speaking to athletes and members of the University of Notre Dame and Villanova University, who were in Rome to face off in a basketball game on the Solemnity of All Saints, Pope Leo XIV emphasized the importance of spor…
Speaking to athletes and members of the University of Notre Dame and Villanova University, who were in Rome to face off in a basketball game on the Solemnity of All Saints, Pope Leo XIV emphasized the importance of sports in promoting cooperation and mutual sharing while also reminding that individuals are called to be holy in their lives.
In an age where technology seems to push people apart, sports draw them together and promote values such as fraternity, solidarity, and peace, Pope Leo XIV highlighted on Saturday, October 31. “By acting as a concrete means of bringing people together, athletics can teach the values of cooperation and mutual sharing. This is increasingly necessary in an age marked by the distance that can be created by technology,” he stated during an audience at the Vatican, with athletes and other members of the University of Notre Dame and Villanova University, the Pope’s alma mater.
The communities from these two American Catholic universities gathered in Rome for the “Eternal City Tip-Off,” featuring college basketball games, men’s and women’s, scheduled for Sunday, November 1. “Growing up on the south side of Chicago, we oftentimes heard, 'Go Irish' [the school cheer for the University of Notre Dame]. But as you all know, Prevost graduated from Villanova! So, the Pope doesn’t take sides. Prevost has another opinion, but we won’t do that now,” Pope Leo joked during the audience.
Around 7,000 people attended the meeting in the Paul VI Audience Hall, including Father Peter Donohue, President of Villanova University, and Father Robert Dowd, President of the University of Notre Dame, as well as students, faculty, staff, alumni, and supporters from both academic institutions.
In his address, Pope Leo XIV stressed that sports can significantly impact both academic communities and society at large by promoting values like “fraternity, solidarity, and peace.” He pointed out how the Catholic Church has, in recent years, pushed a vision of sport focused on “the dignity of the human person, on his or her integral development, on education, and on relationships with others.” He also reminded the audience that “in any competition, the members of two teams, even when they have a competitive rivalry, are certainly not enemies.” The Pope expressed hope that “despite the competitive nature of college basketball,” fans and players from both teams would get to know each other during their time in Rome.
Pope Leo XIV further highlighted that their match was occurring on the Solemnity of All Saints, which serves as a reminder of how “God calls everyone to be a saint.” He explained, “No one is born a champion, just as no one is born a saint. Rather, holiness requires a daily training in love.” He encouraged everyone “to ensure that every aspect of our lives, including our athletic endeavors, will help us to love God and our neighbor.”
Moreover, he noted examples of saints for whom sports played important roles, such as Pier Giorgio Frassati, a patron saint of athletes. In concluding his address, the Pope reminded the attendees that Christians are called to run the race of life with the aim of securing “an imperishable crown of glory.” He affirmed that “our true goal, beyond emerging victorious in any one event, is to win the prize of everlasting life,” entrusting everyone present to the intercession of various holy figures connected to their universities, including the Blessed Virgin Mary, Saint Augustine, St. Thomas of Villanova, and Blessed Basil Moreau.
