Pope Leo XIV publishes his June prayer intention and invites Catholics to pray for the values of sport, that sport may promote peace, brotherhood, and communion.
Let us also pray for all athletes in June!
The prayer video can be found: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvBvVhr7qiI&t=1s
Pope Leo XIV has invited Catholics worldwide to join him in June to pray for the values of sport. The Holy Father’s monthly video “Pray with the Pope,” prepared by the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network, invites us to reflect on the world of sport. The Pope says that sport should be a school of brotherhood, peace, and encounter for all those involved in it.
As Pope Leo reminds us how the Lord teaches us, “that in life, as in a game, no one is saved alone,” the Holy Father emphasizes that “we need others to grow, to learn respect, to overcome our limits, and to celebrate victories achieved together.” Therefore, Pope Leo prays that sport “may always be a school of brotherhood, not a space for empty rivalry; a space for encounters, not a space for exclusion; a path of peace, not violence.”
“May those who play, train, or cheer,” said the Pope, “discover in sport a universal language that unites cultures, unites peoples, and cultivates respect, solidarity, and personal growth.”
He also prays that every sport “may become a parable of life lived with You, working with joy and effort, living humbly in defeat and with gratitude in victory, which You offer in Your resurrection.”
“May Your Spirit,” concluded the Holy Father, “never be lacking in us, making us one team united with You, to build communion and brotherhood in history.”
Source: Vatican News, 2.06.2026