The following is the text of the Video Message “Pray with the Pope”, with the prayer intention for the month of June, distributed via the Pray with the Pope initiative of the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network, on the theme For the values of sport. Let us pray that sport may be an instrument of peace, encounter and dialogue between cultures and peoples, and may promote values such as respect, solidarity, and personal growth.

Video Message

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amén.

Lord of life,

we thank you for the gift of sport,

for those who glorify God through the exercise of their bodies,

for the friendships born on the field

and the joy of playing as a team.

You teach us that in life, as in the game,

no one is saved alone.

We need others to grow,

to learn respect, to overcome our limits,

and to celebrate together the victories we achieve.

We ask that sport may always be

a school of fraternity, not of empty rivalry,

a space of encounter, not exclusion,

a path of peace, not violence.

May those who play, train or cheer

discover in sport a universal language

that brings cultures together, unites peoples,

and sows respect, solidarity and personal growth.

Lord Jesus,

may every sport become a parable of life lived with you,

working with joy and effort,

living with humility in defeat

and with gratitude in the victory you offer in your Resurrection.

May your Spirit never be lacking in us,

making us one team, united with you

to build communion and fraternity in history.

Amen.