Perhaps they didn’t want to applaud, because in the press it is said that I am a Rome fan… but welcome! This is what the press says. Not everything you read in the press is true!

Dear friends,

Welcome! And congratulations for your victory in the Championship! It is a great celebration for the city of Naples!

And it is precisely on this that I would like to reflect with you. To win the Championship is a milestone that one reaches at the end of a long journey, where what counts the most is not the one-off exploit, or the extraordinary performance of a champion. The Championship is won by the team, and when I say “team”, I mean the players, the trainer with the entire team, and the sports association.

Therefore, I am truly happy to welcome you now, to highlight this aspect of your success, which I consider the most important. And I would say that it is so also from a social point of view. We know how popular football is in Italy, and practically all over the world. And so, from this perspective, it seems to me that the social value of an event like this, which goes beyond the merely technical and sporting fact, is the example of a team – in the broadest sense – working together, in which the talents of the individuals are placed at the service of the whole.

And there is one last thing it is important to me to say, taking advantage of this occasion. It regards the educational aspect. Unfortunately, when sport becomes a business, it risks losing the values that make it educational, and can even become anti-educational. It is necessary to keep a lookout for this, especially with regard to teenagers. I appeal to parents and sports managers: we must be very careful of the moral quality of the experience of sport at competitive level, because the human growth of the young is at stake. I think we understand each other, and there is no need for many words.

I thank you for your visit. And congratulations again! Congratulations also from a lady who is cooking for me in these days, and who is from Naples, and says to you: best wishes! She would like to be here too, Mrs. Rosa, who is a big fan!

May the Lord bless you all and your families. All the best!

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Holy See Press Office Bulletin, 27 May 2025