A few days before one of the largest sporting events, the FIFA World Cup, Pope Leo XIV dedicates his June prayer intention to the values of sports, “to build communion and fraternity in history.” Through the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network’s “Pray with the Pope” campaign, the Pope encourages the faithful each month to join in praying for his intentions. Therefore, in June, he invites us to pray that sports might be a path of peace, encounter, and dialogue between cultures, promoting respect, solidarity, and the spirit of overcoming limits.

Pope Leo begins his prayer by invoking the “Lord of life” and giving thanks “for the gift of sport, for those who glorify God through the exercise of their bodies, for the friendships born on the field and the joy of playing as a team.” The Pope prays that sports might always be “a school of fraternity, not of empty rivalry, a space of encounter, not exclusion, a path of peace, not violence.” He also expresses how sports have “a universal language that brings cultures together, unites peoples, and sows respect, solidarity and personal growth.” Lastly, the Pope prays to God that his “Spirit never be lacking in us, making us one team, united with you to build communion and fraternity in history."

Let us pray with Pope Leo XIV:

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amén.

Lord of life,

we thank you for the gift of sport,

for those who glorify God through the exercise of their bodies,

for the friendships born on the field

and the joy of playing as a team.

You teach us that in life, as in the game,

no one is saved alone.

We need others to grow,

to learn respect, to overcome our limits,

and to celebrate together the victories we achieve.

We ask that sport may always be

a school of fraternity, not of empty rivalry,

a space of encounter, not exclusion,

a path of peace, not violence.

May those who play, train or cheer

discover in sport a universal language

that brings cultures together, unites peoples,

and sows respect, solidarity and personal growth.

Lord Jesus,

may every sport become a parable of life lived with you,

working with joy and effort,

living with humility in defeat

and with gratitude in the victory you offer in your Resurrection.

May your Spirit never be lacking in us,

making us one team, united with you

to build communion and fraternity in history.

Amen