The Synod of Sport “is about walking together and breaking down barriers”

The Holy Father’s hope is that “sport can concretely build bridges, break down barriers and promote peaceful relationships.” A vision to which Athletica Vaticana adheres, which brought together on October 25, refugee, Paralympic and Olympic athletes, religious sportsmen and supervisors on the occasion of the “Synod of Sports”. The different athletes returned to their journey, sharing their experiences and their difficulties.

Myriam Sandouno – Vatican City

It was in a good-natured atmosphere that the event “Synod you sport», at the San Callisto Palace in Rome, one of the extraterritorial properties of the Holy See. This framework for dialogue with refugee, Paralympic and Olympic athletes, organized by Athletica Vaticana, allowed the sharing of experiences of men and women from different sporting disciplines.

In this event supported by the Dicastery for Culture and Education and that for Communication, took part: Amelio Castro Grueso, Paralympic athlete in 2024 in fencing with the refugee team; Monica Contrafatto, bronze medalist in the 100 meters at the Rio de Janeiro 2016, Tokyo 2021 and Paris Paralympic Games; Andy Diaz, bronze medalist at the Paris Olympic Games in the triple jump, with his coach Fabrizio Donato, bronze medalist at the London 2012 Olympic Games, gold medalist at the 2012 European Championships and at the 2009 European Indoor Championships , also in the triple jump; Rigivan Ganeshamoorthy, discus throw gold medalist at the Paris Paralympics and world record holder; and Mahdia Sharifi, an Afghan athlete on the refugee taekwondo team, who described leaving her country when the Taliban took power in Afghanistan.




Mahdia Sharifi, Afghan athlete of the refugee taekwondo team

Mahdia Sharifi, Afghan athlete

She was part of the national team, and took her first steps into the world of sport at the age of 11. Unfortunately, she confided, without the agreement of her father who was opposed to her progress in this discipline. “Not because I’m a woman and I shouldn’t play a sport, but because according to him there weren’t enough opportunities and there still aren’t any in Afghanistan for young girls who play sports. , and who want to make their dreams come true».

For the young Afghan who expressed her joy at meeting the best Paralympic and Olympic athletes, sport is “a true miracle» which allowed him “to save his soul“. Sharing different experiences, “changes so much the way we see the world. When we listen to these experiences of different athletes, it helps us understand all the work and effort these people put in to achieve their goal and when they achieve it, when they become a role model for another generation, hearing their history is for me the most beautiful part of seeing the world“. This is why, added Mahdia Sharifi: “initiatives like these are really important and wonderful».

Indeed, “Pope Francis asks the whole Church to live and share a “synodal journey” as an experience of mutual listening and of all», recalled Athletica Vaticana. “The term “synod” means “walking together”: for sports women and men it should be easier to welcome the invitation of Pope Francis because they are already used to “running together”, but also to pedaling and playing, always together».

Living synodality in sport

What moment fut «an opportunity to meet, to listen to each other, to build together in a spirit of dialogue», Said Sister Marie-Théo, nun in the Roman congregation of Saint-Dominique and member of Athletica Vaticana, the Vatican sports team. “Sport remains that element which allows the encounter, it is for me the Church on the outing, this Church which is called to travel the roads in the world. A meeting like this is an opportunity to experience all that”, she said. In their respective disciplines, said the nun, athletes must “live synodality by being fully themselves in their Christian being, bearers of this message, without proselytizing but by breathing their Christian being, this is already a form of synodality in the environment in which they are». «Synodality is not just about parishes or dioceses, but at the heart of the world“, she said.

Running is Sister Marie-Théo’s sport. “Sport is a way to live, to breathe joy. I believe that if every man and woman could deeply believe in this vocation of happiness, peace would arrive and could be built little by little in the world.».

Amelio Castro Grueso interviewed by Eva Crosetta


Amelio Castro Grueso interviewed by Eva Crosetta


Amelio Castro Grueso interviewed by Eva Crosetta

Do not create barriers

During this meeting, Father Cossimo of the diocese of Rome spoke of the experience of a pastoral community church in Ostia which will “meeting others as the Pope wants, in the street, to listen and wipe away the tears of young people without proselytizing, but rather transmitting the faith through our creed“, he said. And “this led us to meet Rigi, also other disabled athletes and allowed us to enter the world of disability, to support them so that they can still fully integrate; and above all not to create barriers“. According to the Italian priest, sport is an important key to entering into the passion of young people and helping them to express themselves. And “as Rigi said, not to withdraw, so that disability is no longer considered as an obstacle but as a means of revival, of rebirth. As he said: “my disability allowed me to be reborn and live a new experience that changed my life”».

Having different abilities is understood by the fact that “They are capable of things that I cannot do. The disabled person is therefore me, not them. If we start from there, from these different capacities, we will then understand that synodality means bringing together these different capacities and growing together“. Father Cossimo calls Christians, “to enter into themselves, in order to eliminate these barriers“. Today, he continued, “finding a bathroom for the disabled in a room in the center is a fight, when this should already be obvious, and yet it is a fight, because we do not listen».

The vision of Pope Francis

At the end of this “Synod you sport» which brought together refugee, Paralympic and Olympic athletes, sports supervisors and religious figures, some declarations from Pope Francis on sport were recalled. The hope of the Holy Father is that “sport can concretely build bridges, break down barriers and promote peaceful relationships».

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