'Sports are the hymn to life' was key message of Pope Francis in the recent celebration of the 100th anniversary of Corriere dello Sport-Stadio, challenging it to report on the victories and defeats of athletes as “a way of thinking and living sport as a hymn to life,” according to Vatican News.
“You have run a beautiful race over these hundred years,” he told the Italian newspaper. Recalling on his childhood experiences of playing football in Argentina, he said sports promotes a “sense of fraternity” because friends would play “knowing only opponents on the field, never enemies.”
Players learn from sports, both during victory and defeat, said the Holy Father, citing the example Fr. Lorenzo Massa, a Salesian priest who opened the doors of the parish oratory to boys to play soccer in Argentina.
Pope Francis emphasized the need to continue to have safe places to play sports. He elaborated on how important it is for “adults who genuinely welcome children and young people, who listen to their dreams and wish for a better future alongside them.”
The Holy Father said even in the midst of conflict and violence, sports unite people, “feeling part of one single family and a family of nations.” He referred for a sample the Olympic and Paralympic Games which showcased successful and inspiring stories.
He challenged everyone to use sports as a means of teaming up regardless of race, religion, or class; and encouraged the newspaper to promote authenticity and acceptance and to “reject every logic of exclusion and violence.”-MTV
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
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