Playing football for peace

At 4:00pm yesterday, in the Paul VI Hall at the Vatican, the Holy Father, Pope Francis met with participants and promotors of the International Football Match for Peace, which was held last evening in the Olympic Stadium in Rome, including world-class participants from various religious backgrounds.

This international event, promoted by the non-profit PUPI Foundation was meant to benefit the Scholas occurrentes Network, which promotes social inclusion and a culture of encounter through technology, art and sports, and allocates its proceeds to charitable purposes.

Speech of His Holiness, Pope Francis

to the Football players and organizers

Dear friends, good evening!

I am pleased to meet you on the occasion of the Inter-religious Match for Peace which will be played tonight at the Olympic Stadium in Rome. I thank you for you have readily acceded to my desire to see champions and coaches from different countries and different religions compete in a sporting event, to witness the sentiments of brotherhood and friendship. My gratitude goes in particular to the people and organizations that have contributed to the realization of this event. I think especially of Scholas Occurrentes, which functions at the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, and the Pupi Onlus Foundation.

The game tonight will certainly be an opportunity to raise funds to support projects of solidarity, but above all to reflect on the universal values ​​that football and sport in general can promote: loyalty, sharing, openness, dialogue and confidence in others. These are values ​​that are common to every person regardless of race, culture and creed. Indeed, this evening's sporting event is a highly symbolic gesture to show that it is possible to build the culture of encounter and a peaceful world, where believers of different religions, preserving their identity - because when I said regardless  this does not mean leave aside, no - believers of different religions, preserving their own identity, can live together in harmony and mutual respect.

We all know that sport, in particular football, is a human and social phenomenon that has so much importance and impact on today’s behavior and mentality. People, especially young people, look to you with admiration for your athletic ability: it is important to set a good example both on and off the field. In sports competitions, you are called to show that sport is a joy to live, play and celebrate, and as such, it should be evaluated through generosity, ability to forge bonds of friendship and openness towards each other. Even with your daily attitudes, full of faith and spirituality, humanity and altruism, you can bear witness to the ideals of peaceful coexistence and civil society, for the building up of a civilization based on love, solidarity and peace. And this is the culture of encounter: to work like this.

May the football match tonight revive in those who take part, the awareness of the need to engage ourselves because sport helps to make an effective contribution to the peaceful and fruitful coexistence of all peoples, excluding any discrimination of race, language, and religion. You know that to discriminate can be synonymous with scorn. Discrimination is a form of contempt, and with this game today, you will say no to any discrimination. Religions in particular, are called to be a vehicle for peace and never for hate, because in God's name we must always bring only love. Religion and sport, enacted in this authentic way, can collaborate and offer all of society eloquent signs of that new era in which nations will not raise sword against another (cf. Is 2,4).

On this highly unusual and significant occasion that is the contest tonight, I want to deliver to you all this message: open your hearts wide as brothers to brothers! This is one of the secrets of life: to broaden the hearts of brothers to brothers, and it is also the most profound and authentic dimension of sport. Thank you.

Prior to the encounter with the players in the Paul VI Hall, a video message prepared by His Holiness was also transmitted.  Here is the text (translated from its original Spanish) of this brief message which was shared with those who were present.

Good evening. I'm glad you are gathered for this game that is so symbolic. It is a game which highlights the union of teams, the union of those who are participating as spectators, the desire of all which is peace. A game where nobody plays by himself but with others, or rather, with all. And this multiplies among more people and teams. And teams that play for the sake of competition rather than war is the seed of peace. So this match's symbol is the olive tree. I give a special greeting to the members of Scholas who have organized this celebration and who will plant the olive branch of peace. I invite everyone to plant together with Scholas. I apologize for speaking in Spanish but it is the language of my heart, and today I want to speak from the heart.

Thanks for this.