Pope Leo issues ‘Life in Abundance,’ the most extensive papal document on sports

February 07, 2026

Pope Leo XIV has issued “Life in Abundance,” a letter on the value of sport, on the occasion of the 25th Winter Olympic Games and 14th Paralympic Games.

The letter, signed and released on February 6—the opening day of the Winter Olympic Games—is the lengthiest papal document on athletics. It has eight sections:

• Sport and the building of peace
• The formative value of sport
• Sport, a school of life and contemporary forum
• Sport and personal development
• Risks that threaten sporting values
• Competition and the culture of encounter
• Sport, relationships and discernment
• A pastoral approach to sport for life in abundance

“Sport, as we know, can be very professional in nature and highly specialized,” Pope Leo began. “As such, it is a calling for relatively few people, even though it elicits the admiration and heartfelt enthusiasm of many who identify with the victories or defeats of the athletes. But sport is also a shared activity, open to all and salutary for both body and spirit, even becoming a universal expression of our humanity.”

In the document’s first section, Pope Leo recalled the Olympic Truce and “wholeheartedly encourage[d] all Nations to rediscover and respect this instrument of hope that is the Olympic Truce, a symbol and promise of a reconciled world.”

In the second section, Pope Leo discussed reflections on athletics by St. Paul, St. Bernard of Clairvaux, Hugh of Saint Victor, and St. Thomas Aquinas. In the third section, he turned to figures from the last five centuries such as St. Ignatius of Loyola, St. Philip Neri, and St. John Bosco, as well as papal and conciliar teaching beginning in the pontificate of Leo XIII (1878-1903).

In subsequent sections of the letter, the Pontiff offered his own reflections. He concluded:

All this finds its ultimate meaning in the biblical promise that gives this letter its title: life in abundance. This is not an accumulation of successes or performances, but a fullness of life that integrates our bodies, relationships and interior lives.

In cultural terms, life in abundance invites us to liberate sport from reductive mentalities that would transform it into a mere spectacle or product. In pastoral terms, it urges the Church to be present and to offer accompaniment, discernment and hope. In this way, sport can truly become a school of life, where all can learn that abundance does not come from victory at any cost, but from sharing, from respecting others and from the joy of walking together.

Pope St. John Paul II (1978-2005) frequently spoke about sports but did not publish a letter as comprehensive as Pope Leo’s. Pope Benedict XVI (2005-2013) also addressed the topic, though less frequently. In 2018, during the pontificate of Pope Francis, the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life published “Giving the best of yourself,” a document on the Christian perspective on sport and the human person.

 

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Further information:

• Letter of the Holy Father for the Celebration of the 25th Winter Olympic Games (Dicastery for Communication - Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2/6/26)