VATICAN CITY (OSV News) – With the FIFA World Cup opening this month, Pope Leo XIV has dedicated his June prayer intention to the power of sport to build bridges between cultures and nations, releasing a video prayer calling on athletes, coaches and fans alike to embrace the field as a space of encounter rather than division.
The Vatican released the monthly "Pray with the Pope" video on June 2 in which the pope prayed 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."
The pope's official prayer intention for the month reads, "For the values of sport: Let us pray that sport may be an instrument of peace, encounter and dialogue between cultures and peoples, and may promote values such as respect, solidarity, and personal growth."
The American pope's prayer intention comes as his home country will begin co-hosting the World Cup on June 11 alongside Mexico and Canada. A record 48 national teams will compete across 104 matches in the three host nations through July 19.
"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," Pope Leo said in the video, recorded inside the Church of San Pellegrino in Vatican City.
"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,” he added.
From the first days of his pontificate, Pope Leo has been known for his love of sport. He is an avid tennis player and a fan of the Chicago White Sox of Major League Baseball.
In his first interview as pope, he was asked who he would cheer for if the United States and Peru (where he served as a missionary for years and is also a citizen) were to face each other in the World Cup. He said he would cheer for Peru. As it happens, neither Peru nor Italy qualified for the 2026 tournament, sparing him any potential conflict of allegiances.
In April, the pope welcomed Italian Olympic and Paralympic athletes who competed in the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Games to the Vatican. In May, the pope received the players and management of Inter Milan, winners of this season's Italian Serie A title, for a Vatican audience.
In the prayer video, Pope Leo drew a connection between athletic life and the Christian journey.
"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," he prayed.
"May your Spirit never be lacking in us, making us one team, united with you to build communion and fraternity in history."
