The Pontifex Maximus is the “supreme bridge-builder.” Obviously, not just between earth and heaven, but in any direction. Thus, it may also be a bridge between the Gospel and sports, even if this construct is extremely poorly planned in advance, simply cobbled together.
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Gospel & Sport – Many Similarities(?)
Sport and the Gospel have many things in common. Pope Leo XIV performed this “spiritual acrobatics” in his homily on the occasion of the “Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, Jubilee of Sport” in St. Peter’s Basilica on June 15, 2025. (Source). The “perceived profundity” of this papal speech was so pronounced that the Jesuit magazine “America – The Jesuit Review” also picked up on the Pontiff’s sporting words (Source). It’s more likely, however, that this sermon originated from the pens of ghostwriters within the Loyola Brotherhood.
Sports, usually associated with a single winner, or a winning team, and a large remainder of “non-winners,” i.e., losers. Pope Leo XIV nevertheless constructed a supposed benefit from it, because “sport teaches us how to lose.” Great.
Wisdom leads to truth – general rule?
Leo, a member of the Augustinian Order (as Martin Luther once was), drew on the teachings of one of the Church Fathers considered the highest by the Roman Church, “Saint” Augustine. He put forward the thesis that divine wisdom is revealed in the Most Holy Trinity and that “wisdom always leads us to the truth.” At this point, however, Pope Leo forgot to define whose wisdom he meant.
For the ancient Greek thinkers claimed to have been wise men themselves, and Hellenistic figures such as Aristotle, Plato, and others are still considered shining examples of wisdom today. This is especially true of the Roman Church, since it officially bases its social doctrine on Hellenistic natural law.
More papal folly than wisdom
Therefore, the claim that “wisdom always leads us to the truth” certainly cannot be universally valid, for the wisdom of God is quite different from that of man, even if the latter is called Thomas Aquinas. Paul already knew the truth about the wisdom of man, 1 Corinthians 3:19: “For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness.“
If this wisdom comes from a source other than God or Jesus Christ, it is foolishness and not truth. It’s that simple!
The message of Jesus Christ, beyond the gospel itself, is completely different from the wisdom of the Gentiles in general, and especially of the philosophizing Greeks. How, then, can wisdom in general always lead to truth? For, 1 Corinthians 1:23:
“But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness;“
The message of Jesus Christ is foolishness to the Greeks (pagans), but the ancient philosophers of Greece are the shining examples for Augustine and Aquinas, the two main theologians of the Roman Catholic Church. From these emerged the Catechism and the social doctrine that has come to the fore today. Therefore, Proverbs 14:8 is especially true for the Church of Rome:
“The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way: but the folly of fools is deceit.“
Sport represents “infinite beauty of God
Pope Leo XIV was also moved by this kind of philosophical “wisdom,” for, alongside the good deeds of mankind, he also considered sport a “reflection of the infinite beauty of God.” The Pontiff derived this from the “dynamic relationships” between the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. God is not immobile, according to Leo, but active, a kind of “dance” of mutual love. The Pontiff laid the final building block for bridging the gap between God and sport by referring to the assertion, achieved by some Church Fathers, that God “plays” (Deus ludens).
The rest is then purely optional and left to one’s own imagination. Thus, Leo didn’t hesitate for long before describing sport as a possible means of encountering the Triune God. Sport challenges people to enter into relationships with others, both externally and internally. This relationship is crucial, because otherwise sport would be nothing more than an empty competition for “inflated egos.”
Following in the footsteps of his predecessor Francis, Leo links sport with the avoidance of “radical individualism.” The “I” is thus shifted to the “we.” Team sports, he argues, are an example of genuine caring and sharing. Sport can become an important means of “reconciliation and encounter,” including between peoples, in schools, communities, and families.
This once again contrasts the vision of a pontiff with the Gospel, for the good news (of victory) directly calls the true believer to separate themselves from the “rest of the world” and to demonstrate individualism (Info). When it comes to keeping the Gospel pure, this individualism can “happily” be uncompromising, i.e., radical.
God treats people “radically individually”
The true “competition” of each individual, even “radically individually,” treated by God is quite different from what papal wisdom attempts to convey.
1 Corinthians 9:24-25:
“Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.“
2 Timothy 2:1;5:
“Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
And if a man also strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned, except he strive lawfully.“
The real competition lies elsewhere
The very first “athletic competition” takes place within the individual human being himself. The battle against the lusts of the flesh (Galatians 5:16-18). The eternal crown of victory is already in sight when Galatians 5:22 already applies to the human being:
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,“
Is Leo XIV of this world? Yes, without a doubt
Just as the general statement that “wisdom leads to truth” is completely false when the originator of this wisdom roars from Alexandria and Rome, so too is the general claim that sports reflect the “infinite beauty of God.” One cannot help wondering if Pope Leo XIV has never heard of boxing, Muay Thai, or even mixed martial arts (MMA), where bloodied, already prone “sports partners” are abused with punches and kicks?
Are there no soccer stadiums in Peru where the “united” fans gather in their respective sections, hold their ceremonies, and butt heads with the opposing team’s fans after a win or a loss? Has the Pontiff never witnessed nasty fouls, shoving, shouting, and outright brawls on the field? Has he never followed the media coverage of such games and their players?
Apparently, Robert Prevost, alias Leo XIV, had been living in an extremely high ivory tower for quite some time before moving to the chambers of ultramontane Rome. Thus, in his “sermon,” he did not fail to point out that the Virgin Mary is always portrayed as active in the Gospels. She was always in motion, even “running.” It’s wonderful that now, in addition to her main Roman Catholic roles as “Our Lady, Queen of Heaven and Co-Redeemer,” the mother of the incarnate Jesus Christ also serves as the great maternal role model of caring, humanity-unifying sport.
But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another.
Galatians 6:4
Bible verses from King James Version (1611)
