Vatican City: Pope Leo XIV met Italian Olympic and Paralympic athletes at the Vatican after the recent Milan-Cortina Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games 2026, praising their witness and reminding them that sport must always protect and promote the human person.
Speaking to the delegation, Pope said sport is more than performance or competition. He described it as a powerful form of expression that tells stories of effort, sacrifice, discipline, and new beginnings. According to him, athletes do not only show physical strength but also reveal deep personal journeys shaped by perseverance.
He gave special attention to Paralympic athletes, saying their participation shows how limitations can become a source of strength and transformation. Rather than being obstacles, such challenges can reveal new abilities and inspire others.
Pope also recognized the role of families, coaches, and teams, noting that athletes never succeed alone. Their achievements reflect shared effort, support, and unity.
He stressed that sport helps build character and requires inner discipline. Athletes, he said, must learn to understand their bodies without becoming obsessed with them and must train their minds as well as their physical abilities. In this way, sport becomes a school of life that shapes both talent and values.
Reflecting on the meaning of success, Pope Leo said it should not be measured only by medals or victories, but by relationships, mutual respect, and the joy shared with others.
He also recalled the ancient idea of an Olympic truce, saying it remains relevant in a world marked by conflict and division. The presence of athletes, he said, can promote peace and show that competition does not have to lead to hostility.
At the same time, Pope warned against dangers in modern sport, including the pressure to win at any cost, the use of doping, and the tendency to treat athletes as mere celebrities or numbers.
He thanked the athletes for showing that it is possible to compete with respect, to win without humiliating others, and to lose without losing dignity.
In his concluding remarks, Pope encouraged them to continue their mission of keeping the human person at the center of sport. He said that when lived in the right spirit, sport can become a place where differences are respected and unity is strengthened.