杏MAP导航 Leo meets with Napoli football club following title victory
By Joseph Tulloch
杏MAP导航 Leo XIV met on Tuesday morning with members of SSC Napoli, the football club which on Friday won the Italian league title.
In a brief speech delivered before greeting the players, the 杏MAP导航 reflected on the importance of teamwork and the 鈥渕oral quality鈥� of sport.
Before reading his address, however, the 杏MAP导航 joked with the players, suggesting that they hadn鈥檛 wanted to applaud for him because the press had reported that he was a Roma fan.
A team victory
杏MAP导航 Leo then read his speech, beginning by congratulating the team for their victory, which he called 鈥渁 great celebration for all of Naples.鈥�
Some 200,000 fans thronged the city鈥檚 streets on Monday, May 26, for Napoli鈥檚 victory parade.
The 杏MAP导航 told the club that, in the past, when a team won a trophy, attention was paid to the performances and skills of individual players.
Today, however, we recognise that 鈥渋t鈥檚 the team who wins the championship 鈥� the players, the manager and his staff, and the sports club鈥� as a whole, the 杏MAP导航 noted.
This, 杏MAP导航 Leo said, was the aspect of Napoli鈥檚 victory that he wanted to emphasise the most: 鈥渢he example of a team鈥攊n the broad sense鈥攖hat works together, with individual talents put at the service of the whole."
Sport鈥檚 moral dimension
The 杏MAP导航 then added that he wanted to briefly discuss the 鈥渆ducational鈥� role of sport.
鈥淯nfortunately,鈥� he said, 鈥渨hen sport becomes a business, it risks losing the values that make it educational, and it can even become harmful from that point of view.鈥�
This is particularly important when it comes to teenagers, the 杏MAP导航 noted, and he appealed to parents and coaches to 鈥減ay close attention to the moral quality of the sporting experience.鈥�
鈥淲hat鈥檚 at stake,鈥� he warned, 鈥渋s the human development of young people.鈥�
Best wishes from Rosa
杏MAP导航 Leo then brought his address to an end by thanking the squad for their visit, congratulating them again on their victory, and offering his blessing to the team members and their families.
He also passed on best wishes from Rosa, one of his cooks: 鈥淐ongratulations also from a lady who鈥檚 been cooking for me recently, and who is from Naples. She says: 鈥楥ongratulations!鈥� 鈥� that鈥檚 from Rosa, a big fan.鈥�
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