Pope Leo XIV tells Special Olympics athletes that sport demands hard work and sharing

Pope Leo XIV received a delegation from the Special Olympics in the Clementine Hall of the Apostolic Palace and offered words of encouragement to the athletes gathered there. He described sport as an activity that demands seriousness and work, and said its fruits, which he listed as loyalty, trust, openness, team spirit and courage, should be shared generously.

"Taking part in sport means committing oneself seriously and with hard work, and then sharing the fruits of perseverance in a loyal and open way," Leo XIV said. Special Olympics athletes show the beauty of sport in a unique way, he said, both for those who compete and those who watch the events, and for everyone who knows them and lives alongside them.

The pope said the world needs people who, like these athletes, remind the world of the true values of life. "Our world needs men and women who, through their example, show that the path of sharing and of love is the only one that truly leads to happiness and peace," he said.

Leo XIV closed by entrusting the delegation to the intercession of the Virgin Mary and of St. Pier Giorgio Frassati, the young Italian athlete who, moved by his love for Jesus Christ, translated the values of sport into a good, generous and holy life.