Speaking from St. Peter’s Square following the Jubilee of Sport Mass, Pope Leo XIV delivered a powerful Angelus message centered on the dignity of sport, the urgency of peace, and prayers for victims of global conflict.
The Pope began by addressing athletes gathered in Rome, encouraging them to engage in sport with a “spirit of gratuitousness” and a noble sense of play. “In play and healthy amusement,” he said, “the human person resembles his Creator.” He emphasized that sport, even at competitive levels, can become a “school of respect and loyalty,” promoting peace and fraternity.
Pivoting to pressing global concerns, Pope Leo issued a sobering call for peace in war-torn regions. He denounced the ongoing violence in Myanmar despite an announced ceasefire and urged all parties toward inclusive dialogue. He condemned the massacre in Yelwata, Nigeria, where around 200 internally displaced persons, many sheltered by a Catholic mission, were brutally killed. “I pray that security, justice and peace will prevail in Nigeria,” he said, particularly lifting up rural Christian communities in Benue State.
The Holy Father also mourned the death of Rev. Luke Jumu, a Sudanese priest killed in a bombing in El Fasher, and urged an end to the two-year conflict in Sudan. He called on the international community to intensify humanitarian support amid the worsening crisis.
In a moment of hope, Pope Leo XIV announced the beatification of Floribert Bwana Chui, a young Congolese martyr who died defending the poor and resisting injustice. “May his testimony give courage and hope to the young people of the Democratic Republic of Congo and of all Africa,” the Pope said.
He concluded by inviting young people to the upcoming Jubilee of Youth and entrusted all to the intercession of the Virgin Mary, Queen of Peace.
ANGELUS
“Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
We have just concluded the Eucharistic celebration for the Jubilee of Sport, and now with joy I extend my greetings to all of you, sportsmen of all ages and from all backgrounds. I urge you to live the sporting activity, even at the competitive levels, always with a spirit of gratuitousness, with a “ludic” spirit in the noble sense of this term, because in play and healthy amusement the human person resembles his Creator.
I would also like to stress that sport is a way to build peace, because it is a school of respect and loyalty, which makes the culture of encounter and brotherhood grow. Sisters and sisters, I encourage you to practice this style in a conscious way, opposing you to all forms of violence and oppression.
The world needs it so much today! There are many armed conflicts. In Myanmar, despite the ceasefire, fighting continues, with damage to civilian infrastructure. I call on all parties to embark on the path of inclusive dialogue, the only one that can lead to a peaceful and stable solution.
On the night of June 13-14, in the city of Yelwata, in the local administrative area of Gouma, in the State of Benue, Nigeria, there was a terrible massacre, in which about two hundred people were killed with extreme cruelty, most of whom were internally displaced, hosted by the local Catholic mission. I pray that security, justice and peace will prevail in Nigeria, a country loved and so affected by various forms of violence. And I pray in a special way for the rural Christian communities of the State of Benue, who incessantly have been victims of violence.
I am also thinking of the Republic of Sudan, which has been devastated by violence for over two years. I received the sad news of the death of the Rev. Luke Jumu, parish priest of El Fasher, victim of a bombing. While I assure you of my prayers for him and for all the victims, I renew my appeal to the fighters to stop, protect civilians and engage in a dialogue for peace. I urge the international community to step up its efforts to provide at least essential assistance to the population, which is severely affected by the serious humanitarian crisis.
We continue to pray for peace in the Middle East, in Ukraine and throughout the world.
This afternoon, in the Basilica of St. Paul outside the walls, Blessed Floribert Bwana Chui, a young Congolese martyr, will be proclaimed. He was killed at the age of twenty-six because, as a Christian, he opposed injustice and defended the little ones and the poor. May his testimony give courage and hope to the young people of the Democratic Republic of Congo and of all Africa!
Happy Sunday to all! And to you young people I say: I am waiting for you in a month and a half to the Jubilee of the young! May the Virgin Mary, Queen of Peace, intercede for us.”