The pope issued the letter, entitled "Life in Abundance" on Friday, to coincide with the start of the 2026 Winter Olympic Games, Polish state news agency PAP reported.
Leo XIV wrote: "I wish to address my greeting and good wishes to those who are directly involved, and at the same time, take this opportunity to offer a reflection for everyone. Sport, as we know, can be very professional in nature and highly specialized. 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."
The pope himself has played sports for years and this has not changed after his election. He still swims and plays tennis, for instance, the PAP news agency reported.
Leo XIV added that sport is also "a shared activity, open to all and salutary for both body and spirit, even becoming a universal expression of our humanity."
"On the occasion of past Olympic Games, my predecessors have emphasized how sport can play an important role for the good of humanity, especially in the promotion of peace," the pope wrote.
He quoted saint John Paul II who told young athletes from around the world in 1984: “May your encounters be a symbolic sign for the whole of society and a prelude to that new era, in which people shall not lift up the sword against another."
Leo XIV emphasised the meaning of the Olympic Truce in ancient Greece, "an agreement to suspend hostilities before, during and after the Olympic Games, so that the athletes and spectators could freely travel and the competitions could be held without interruption."
The pope said: "On the other hand, war results from a radicalization of conflict and a refusal to cooperate with each other. Thus, the adversary is considered a mortal enemy, to be isolated and, if possible, eliminated. The tragic evidence of this culture of death is before our eyes — lives broken, dreams shattered, survivors’ trauma, cities destroyed — as if human coexistence were superficially reduced to a video game scenario. Yet, one must never forget that aggression, violence and war are 'always a defeat for humanity.'”
Leo XIV added: "In a world thirsting for peace, we need tools that can put an 'end to the abuse of power, displays of force and indifference to the rule of law.' On the occasion of the upcoming Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games, I wholeheartedly encourage all Nations to rediscover and respect this instrument of hope that is the Olympic Truce, a symbol and promise of a reconciled world."
The pope warned that "in some societies that consider themselves advanced, where sports are organized according to the principle of 'pay to play,' children from poorer families and communities are excluded because they cannot afford the participation fees. In other societies, girls and women are not allowed to participate in sports."
The pope also said that sporting values could be at risk, especially in societies where "sport is closely linked to economics and financial interests."
Leo XIV criticised the "dictatorship of performance," warning it can lead to the use of performance-enhancing substances and other forms of dishonesty, and can cause participants in sport to focus on their own financial well-being rather than on loyalty to their sport."
Leo XIV also warned about "the political exploitation of international sporting competitions."
The Pope wrote: "When sport succumbs to the mentality of power, propaganda or national supremacy, its universal vocation is betrayed. Major sporting events are meant to be places of encounter and mutual admiration, not stages for the affirmation of political or ideological interests."
(pm)
Source: PAP, Vatican