Pope Leo XIV continues his predecessor’s Saturday Jubilee audiences, focusing on St Irenaeus as a witness of hope as he welcomes athletes to St Peter’s Basilica for the Jubilee of Sport.
By Christopher Wells
Bishop Irenaeus of Lyon can help us “recognize how beautiful and relevant” hope is today, Pope Leo XIV said on Saturday morning, as he spoke with athletes gathered in St Peter’s Basilica for the Jubilee of Sport.
The Holy Father resumed the special Saturday Jubilee audiences initiated by Pope Francis at the beginning of the year, with catecheses focused on “a particular aspect of the theological virtue of hope and a spiritual figure who bore witness to it.”
‘The Gospel comes from outside’
For the Jubilee of sport, Pope Leo looked to the second-century Saint Irenaeus, who came to Europe from Asia Minor after receiving the faith directly from the Apostles. “How good it is to remember this here, in Rome, in Europe,” the pope said, recalling that the Gospel was brought to the continent from outside—and that, “even today, migrant communities are presences that revive the faith in the countries that welcome them.”
However, he continued, “Irenaeus has an even greater treasure to give us,” showing by example how to overcome division by focusing more deeply on Jesus. “Jesus is not a wall that separates, but a door that unites us,” he explained.
Warning that “even today ideas can drive us mad and words can kill,” Pope Leo reminded the faithful that “the flesh of Jesus must be welcomed and contemplated in every brother and sister, in every creature” and that we should hear ourselves “called by name by the pain of others.”
St Irenaeus, teacher of unity
The pope went on to describe St Irenaeus as a teacher of unity, showing us not how to oppose, but connect, by looking to Jesus, “who brings opposites together and makes communion possible.”
“We are pilgrims of hope,” Pope Leo said in conclusion, “because among individuals, peoples, and creatures, someone must decide to move towards communion.” He called on the faithful “to build bridges where today there are walls,” adding, “Let us open doors, let us connect worlds, and there will be hope.”
‘Authentic human and Christian values’ expressed in sport
Greeting pilgrims gathered for the Jubilee of Sport, Pope Leo said their time together will offer “a valuable opportunity” to reflect on “the relationship between athletic activity and the virtue of hope.”
The Jubilee brought together professional and amateur athletes, coaches, sports managers, members of associations, and others, as well as there families, to take part in two days of events that included opportunities to reflect on the link between “hope and sport,” a Festival of Sport throughout the day on Saturday, and Holy Mass with Pope Leo on Sunday morning.
Beyond the continual striving for improved performance and teamwork, Pope Leo told the pilgrims, “our deepest hopes challenge us to make the world of sports an arena where authentically Christian values can be exercised and communicated to others for the building of a better world.”
He invited pilgrims, as well as participants in the International Motorbike rally, to be “‘missionaries of hope’ working to bring about a culture of ever greater solidarity, acceptance, and fraternity.”
