To hope is to connect. Irenaeus of Lyon

I offer a warm greeting to all of you who are taking part in the Jubilee of Sport and in this international gathering on “The Momentum of Hope,” sponsored by the Dicastery for Culture and Education. The time you spend together in these days will offer you a valuable opportunity to think about the relationship between athletic activity and the virtue of hope. When we think of it, sports are animated by hope, in the sense that they involve striving towards a goal, constantly trying to improve our performance and learning to work with others as a team. At the same time, our deepest hopes challenge us to make the world of sports an arena where authentically human and Christian values can be exercised and communicated to others for the building of a better world.

In the spirit of this Jubilee, then, I encourage you, and also the participants in the International Motorbike Rally, each in your own way, to be “missionaries of hope,” working to bring about a culture of ever greater solidarity, acceptance and fraternity. To all of you I cordially impart my Blessing.

* * * 

Dear brothers and sisters:

This morning we take up the series of catecheses on the Jubilee theme of hope begun by Pope Francis earlier this year. Like Jesus himself, God and man, the evangelical virtue of hope connects heaven and earth, our world and the kingdom of heaven. We see this reflected in the life of Saint Irenaeus of Lyon, a great bishop and theologian of the second century. Irenaeus was born in Asia Minor, nurtured in its apostolic traditions, and migrated to Europe as a missionary of the Gospel. His ministry was above all one of unity, grounded in the person of Jesus himself, true God and true man. By taking on our flesh, Jesus united us to one another, reconciling divisions and charging us to acknowledge him in all our brothers and sisters, especially the poor and those in need. Inspired by this teaching of Saint Irenaeus, may we work together for unity in our communities, opening doors and building bridges in place of walls. In this way, as pilgrims of hope, may we bear living witness to the Gospel message of unity, reconciliation and peace in Christ.