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POPE SPEAKS ON SPIRIT OF SPORTS
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VATICAN, Oct.
27, 00 (CWNews.com) -- On Friday,
October 27-- two days before the formal
Vatican observance of the Jubilee for
athletes, Pope John Paul II met with
members of the Italian Lazio sports club
in the Paul VI
auditorium.
While he devoted most of his remarks to
"the true significance of the spirit of
competition," the Pope also alluded to
the racial violence that has broken out
among supporters of different soccer
teams involved in the Italian national
championship. These incidents, he said,
violate the spirit of sportsmanship and
"injure the athletes and the entire
community."
"Without a sense of equilibrium,
self-discipline, and the capacity to
compete with others honestly and
amicably, sporting contests cannot fully
achieve their goal-- to be physical
activity designed not only for the body
but also
for the spirit and the heart," the Pope
said. Pope John Paul also took time to
thank the members of the Lazio club for
the
financial support they had contributed
to the World Youth Day celebration in
August, and to the Jubilee for families
early in October. He encouraged the
group to continue its involvement in
charitable activities.
The Pontiff will celebrate a solemn Mass
in St. Peter's Basilica on Sunday,
marking the culmination of the Jubilee
for athletes. Afterward he is expected
to attend an exhibition soccer game in
Rome's Olympic Stadium, in which the
Italian national squad will be matched
against a team of professionals from
other countries.
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