Football continues to be one of the few languages truly shared across different generations and cultures. On 11 June 2026, the largest ever edition of the Football World Cup will kick off, featuring 48 national teams, and will be hosted by Mexico, Canada and the United States.

This sporting event therefore presents an opportunity to revitalise the theme of sport within the social context, reflecting on ‘sport beyond sport’ as a laboratory of humanism, a school of virtue and a bridge between cultures. In this regard, we recall the key points of Pope Leo XIV’s teachings on sport and present a pastoral proposal to accompany this event.

Pope Leo XIV’s Sports Teachings

Pope Leo XIV published a letter dedicated to sport on 6 February 2026. The entire letter is based on this principle: Sport educates us to a deeper understanding of life, which draws on the biblical passage from John: Life in abundance (cf. Jn 10:10).

In short, the letter offers us four key hermeneutical insights into sport.

Firstly, at an individual level, the formative value of sport. The ultimate aim of sport, as the very title of the Letter suggests, is to foster a fuller life for human beings. Only the unity of body, mind and spirit can promote the genuinely integral growth of the person.

Secondly, at a community level, the social responsibility of sport. Sport has an impact not only on the individual, but also on society. We should not be competing against others, but rather alongside them. Often, when institutions fail to create spaces for dialogue, a form of "sport diplomacy" remains, as sport stands as one of the last opportunities for peoples to come together, demonstrating that people from different cultures can live together and collaborate harmoniously.

Thirdly, at the sporting level, the risks inherent in sport. The greatest dangers are often those that are not immediately apparent, those that unfold behind the scenes of sporting events. It is therefore up to all of us to denounce these situations which mar the authentic beauty of sport.

Fourthly, on a pastoral level, the Church’s specific task is to develop a pastoral approach to sport. This means exploring the unique nature of the pastoral care of sport, so that it emerges as an autonomous pastoral ministry in terms of its methods, venues, practitioners and aims; integrating the various sectors of pastoral care with the pastoral care of sport; and establishing diocesan commissions for the pastoral care of sport.