With the FIFA World Cup set to begin on Thursday, during his apostolic visit to Spain Pope Leo XIV shared a reflection regarding soccer, highlighting the importance of learning teamwork as a lesson for life.
“Soccer also helps us remember something very important: that life is not a race to be run in solitude; it is something played as a team, and we must learn to run together,” the pontiff observed during a meeting with members of diocesan charitable and assistance organizations at the Church of St. Augustine in Barcelona.
“Someone who could be a star but never passes the ball — doesnʼt let the others get into the game — will probably lose,” the pontiff added while answering questions from Renzo, a 6-year-old boy who wanted to know if the Holy Father liked soccer.
At the outset of his remarks on the subject, the Holy Father mentioned that he currently plays tennis but used to play American football in his youth.
He also recalled his time as a missionary in Peru and the love for sports that he shared with seminarians there. “When I was in Trujillo, I played soccer — on defense, if you want to know; I wasnʼt a big goal-scorer,” he recounted.
“A little sport is good for everyone; one has to find ways to — let’s say — maintain and enjoy good health: body, mind, and soul. So, that has indeed been a part of my life,” he continued.
Finally, he connected the topic of sports to the social work carried out by Church communities in Barcelona, describing them as a team working in unity. “I want to acknowledge and commend everything you are doing here,” he concluded.
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.