2023-07-11 07:02:51
Pope Francis received members of the Spanish Vigo Football Club, saying that the true meaning of sports lies in rediscovering and promoting values such as teamwork and self-sacrifice.
(Vatican News Network) Pope Francis received players and team executives of Spanish Real Vigo Celta Football Club in the Vatican on July 10. The Pope pointed out that sport, like life, is regarding rediscovering and promoting values such as generosity and teamwork.
The soccer team’s jersey is sky blue, the same color as that of Pope Bergoglio’s native Argentina. Sky blue is the color of the Immaculate Conception. Like the shoes of the Virgin Mary on both sides of the Atlantic, the Pope imagined, “connecting us, not alienating us, so that we will never forget her”.
The team’s logo features the St. James’s Cross, a cross in the shape of a sword, raised like a victory banner. “This cross also recalls Galicia, your homeland… and the footsteps of the Apostles who shed blood for Christ,” the pope said.
Like the cross of St. James, “On the field and in life, your weapons are also those sometimes small gestures: winning with humility, not relying solely on individual strength, but working as a team, knowing that victory belongs to everyone. people. It also means being generous with yourself, leaving no stone unturned, knowing how to sacrifice yourself for others”. “Teamwork is essential: in sports, if you say no to teamwork, everyone loses.”
The pope told the football players present that if their game matches their life, they will love the symbolism of the team’s colors. “These blue and white flags and this Way of the Apostle of St. James have enabled us to cross the oceans and connect the continents, while waiting for the justice of the Lord, the just judge, for all who put their hope in him.” crown (cf. 2 Timothy 4:8)”.
The pope concluded by exhorting everyone to maintain their “interest” in sports. “Once sport loses its scope of interest, it becomes apathetic, a business without enthusiasm.”
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