VATICAN CITY, OCT 29, 2000 (VIS) - This morning, John Paul II celebrated Mass at Rome's Olympic Stadium for the occasion of the Jubilee of Athletes. After the ceremony he stayed to watch a soccer match between the Italian national side and a team of non-Italian footballers who play in Italy.
Prior to the Eucharistic celebration, the Pope drove around the stadium in an open car to the applause of the 70,000 people present.
In his homily, the Pope said that this Jubilee was the occasion "to give thanks to God for the gift of sport in which man exercises his body, intelligence and will." He went on to say that practicing sports can help young people to reaffirm "important values such as loyalty, perseverance, friendship, sharing and solidarity," and added that sports people are also called to "examine their consciences."
"Sport's educational and spiritual potential," he continued, "must unite believers and men and women of good will, and make them resolute in contrasting any aberrant practices that may arise, recognizing therein a phenomenon that goes against the full development of human beings and their joy in living. Every effort must be made to safeguard the human body from any attack on its integrity, and to protect it from exploitation or idolatry."
John Paul II highlighted the necessity of "being ready to ask pardon for everything that, in the world of sport, has been done or has been omitted in contrast to commitments made during the last Jubilee."
"May sport," he concluded, "respond without becoming debased to the requirements of our time: sport that protects the weak and excludes no one, that frees young people from the snares of apathy and indifference and gives them a healthy sense of competition; sport that becomes a factor in the emancipation of poorer countries and a help in eradicating intolerance and building a more fraternal and united world; sport that contributes to love of life and educates us for sacrifice, respect and responsibility, causing the full value of each human being to be recognized."
After Mass, and for the first time in his pontificate, the Pope attended a football match. Originally scheduled to attend only the first half of game, John Paul II on Saturday had expressed the wish to watch the entire hour-long match. Following this he greeted all the players and presented them with Jubilee medals.
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