Naples goes to Pope Leo XIV, who welcomes him with a joke

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On the heels of the celebrations on the uncovered buses that paraded along the Caracciolo waterfront, Napoli went to the Vatican for a private audience with Pope Leo XIV, who welcomed the blue club with a joke: “The press says I am a Romanista. But welcome: congratulations on winning the championship! A great celebration for the city of Naples!”.

“Winning the championship is a goal that is reached at the end of a long journey – stressed the Pontiff – where what matters most is not the one-time exploit, or the extraordinary performance of a champion. The championship is won by the team, and when I say ‘team’ I mean both the players, the coach with the whole team, and the sports club. So I am happy to welcome you now to highlight this aspect of your success, which I think is the most important. And I would say it is also so from the social” point of view.

“We know how popular soccer is in Italy and around the world– continued the Holy Father.”

And so, also from this point of view, it seems to me that the social value of an event like this, which goes beyond the merely technical-sporting fact, is the’example of a team– in the broadest sense – working together, in which the talents of individuals are put at the service of the’whole.

“And there’s one last thing that I care to say taking advantage of this occasion. It is about the educational aspect. Unfortunately, when sport becomes business, it risks losing the values that make it educational, and it can even become dis-educational. This is something we need to be vigilant about, especially when dealing with adolescents. I appeal to parents and sports managers: you have to be very careful about the moral quality of the sports experience at the competitive level, because there&#8217s human growth of young people involved. I think we understand each other, and there is no need for many words. I thank you for your visit. Congratulations again! May the Lord bless all of you and your families” Pope Leo XIV concluded.

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