2025-06-17

Sport is practised across the globe, and, as Cardinal Tolentino reminded us during the recent Jubilee of Sport, “even when practised alone, sport is always a communal act, underlining its power to speak to the human heart, its joys, its longing for meaning, transcendence, and the infinite”. 

Pope Leo XIV reaffirmed a vision of sport that encompasses the whole person – body, mind, heart and spirit. He emphasised teamwork and the educational dimension of sport.

Former Italian Olympic swimmer, Novella Calligaris, said, “For an athlete, losing is crucial—it’s the moment when one truly reveals who they are: how they recover, what they learn, and how they define their next goal.”

May this Jubilee awaken in all athletes – and any of us who play sport – the awareness that we too, too, are missionaries of hope.”