Pope Leo XIV will preside over a Mass on Sunday at 10 a.m. to close out the Jubilee of Sport—an event that will attract familiar faces like NBA player Gordon Hayward and former Formula 1 driver Felipe Massa. On Saturday afternoon, they will participate in a roundtable discussion organized in the central Piazza del Popolo as part of the Jubilee.
There are plenty of clues regarding what the new Pope will talk about. In just over a month since the start of his papacy, Pope Leo has had numerous meetings with elite athletes.
One of his first meetings was with Jannik Sinner, who is currently the top tennis player in the world. The Italian tennis player gave the Pope a racket and even encouraged him to try it out.
The ball. If you want to play a little…
But here… Better not. Let’s leave it.
Better not.
Another memorable moment at the Vatican was the reception of national soccer champions, Napoli. They gave him a jersey with a very meaningful number for them: Maradona’s 10.
Pope Leo XIV, with everyone’s signature—you are a number ten, which means a great forward.
Thank you.
And in his message to the footballers, Pope Leo emphasized the following:
Great attention must be paid to the moral quality of competitive sports, because the human development of young people is at stake.
Pope Leo then went from contact sports to cycling. The Giro d’Italia ended in Rome, offering a great opportunity to enter Vatican territory and receive a greeting from the pontiff.
Hello everyone, welcome to the Vatican. It’s a pleasure to greet you on this final stage of the Giro d’Italia. I hope it’s a truly beautiful day for all of you. Know that you are role models for young people all over the world.
Congratulations to all of you, and know that you are always welcome here in the Vatican and always welcome in the Church, which represents God’s love for the whole world. And may the blessing of Almighty God, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, come upon you all and remain forever. Congratulations, blessings to all.
This is a message that Pope Leo has been repeating often to anyone in the public eye—from athletes to priests: he calls on them for responsibility, credibility, and to set an example.
JRB
Trans. CRT
