Audience with the Italian Special Olympics delegation — 2026-09-19

All events of the day›2026-09-19›Audience with the Italian Special Olympics delegation

🤝 Audience

Audience with the Italian Special Olympics delegation

📍 Clementine Hall, Vatican City

Pope Leo XIV receives in audience about 150 athletes, coaches and officials of the Italian Special Olympics delegation that took part in the Turin 2025 Winter World Games. In his address the Pope says he loves sport greatly and is convinced of its great formative value, "because it educates the person to noble and authentic values," recalling Pope Francis's words that sport "is one of those universal languages that overcomes cultural, social, religious and physical differences, and succeeds in uniting people." Doing sport, the Pope explains, means "committing seriously and with effort, then sharing the fruits of one's perseverance with loyalty, trust, openness, team spirit and courage," and Special Olympics athletes show this beauty in a truly special way. The Pope entrusts athletes, coaches and staff to the intercession of the Virgin Mary and of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, a young athlete who translated the values of sport into a generous and holy life.

📷 Photos

Pope Leo XIV with the Special Olympics delegation, September 19, 2026 (© Vatican Media)

Audience with the athletes of the Special Olympics Turin 2025 Winter World Games (© Vatican Media)

📰 Articles

Vatican NewsOfficial

Leone XIV: gli sportivi mostrino al mondo che solo la condivisione porta alla pace

Coverage of the audience with the Italian Special Olympics athletes who took part in the Turin 2025 Winter World Games.

AgenSIRnews

Leone XIV: a Special Olympics, «mostrate la bellezza dello sport in modo veramente speciale»

Report on the audience with about 150 athletes, coaches and officials of the Italian Special Olympics delegation.

Sala Stampa della Santa SedeOfficial

Udienza del Santo Padre Leone XIV a una delegazione di "Special Olympics"

The official bulletin announcing the audience and linking to the text of the Pope's address.

📜 Speech text

Address to the Special Olympics delegation

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Peace be with you! Good morning to you all. I am very pleased to meet you this morning and to share with you, at this moment, the joy of the sporting events you have experienced. As you know, I too am very fond of sport, and I am convinced of its great educational value...

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Peace be with you!

Good morning to you all. I am very pleased to meet you this morning and to share with you, at this moment, the joy of the sporting events you have experienced. As you know, I too am very fond of sport, and I am convinced of its great educational value, because it instils noble and authentic values in people; furthermore, it offers the opportunity to bear witness to these values in both competitive and amateur sport, and above all in the lives of the athletes themselves.

Taking part in sport means committing oneself seriously and with hard work, and then sharing the fruits of one's perseverance with loyalty, trust, openness, team spirit and courage. You do all this, and you demonstrate its beauty in a truly special way to those who take part in and watch the competitions, and to those who know you and meet you.

Pope Francis, while receiving a group of athletes from Special Olympics, said that "sport is one of the universal languages that overcomes cultural, social, religious and physical differences, and that manages to unite people, making them participants in the same game and, together, protagonists of victory and defeat" (13 October 2017), and entrusted this witness to you in a special way.

Today I am doing the same, because our world is in such need of people who, like you, remind everyone of the true values of life; of men and women who show by their example that the path of sharing and love is the only one that truly leads to happiness and peace.

I therefore thank you for your presence, for the genuine joy you bring, for the positive message you embody, and I encourage you – athletes, coaches, managers, assistants and support staff – to continue your work with enthusiasm.

My dear friends, I entrust you to the intercession of Mary and of Saint Piergiorgio Frassati, a young sportsman like yourselves who, enamoured with Jesus, together with many friends, was able to translate the values of sport into a good and generous life, into a holy life. I bless you with all my heart, along with your families and all those dear to you. Thank you!

Official source ↗