Last weekend the Vatican held a two-day seminar titled, “Sports, Education and Faith: For a New Stage in the Catholic Sports Movement” in Rome. On the occasion of the event, hosted by the sport section of the Pontifical Council for the Laity, Pope Benedict XVI offered his thoughts on sports and young people today. Here are a few highlights:“In fact, when they are directed to the integral development of the person and are managed by qualified and competent personnel, sports initiatives reveal themselves as propitious occasions in which priests, religious and laity can become true and proper educators and teachers of life of young people.”
He briefly speaks out against the use of performance-enhancing
drugs. He challenges the Church to “continue to support sports for young people” for its positive aspects like stimulating “competitiveness, courage and tenacity;” pointing out, however, that the Church must educate young people through sports to avoid “all tendencies that…are dangerous to the organism, as is the case of doping.”
“In a coordinated formative action, Catholic leaders, technicians and operators must be considered experienced guides for adolescents, helping them to develop their own competitive potentialities without neglecting the human qualities and Christian virtues which make the person completely mature.”
“In this perspective, I find it very useful that this third Seminar of the "Church and sport" section of the Pontifical Council for the Laity focus its attention on the specific mission and the Catholic identity of sports associations, of schools and of oratories managed by the Church.”
Some reflection questions:
- How does your sports program contribute to the “integral development of the person?”
- Does your school or league have a plan to effectively discuss with athletes the physical and ethical implications of performance-enhancing drugs? How would you describe this plan?
- Are your coaches “experienced guides for adolescents?” Could they use some additional formation and professional development? If so, in what areas?
- Does your school’s athletic program have strong Catholic identity?
Dr. Clark Power, Play Like A Champion Today founder and director, presented at the inaugural meeting of this group within the Pontifical Council for the Laity in Rome in 2005. Since that time he created one of the only Catholic-focused, Sports as Ministry programs in the world. If you and your school are considering taking these words and putting them into action, please contact Play Like a Champion (plc@nd.edu) for more information about how we can help you develop a program that will contribute to your community’s “human and spiritual growth.”
