The power of sport in evangelisation

(Vatican Radio) A three day seminar focusing on the Church and Sport concluded Wednesday here at the Vatican.

The event organized by the Pontifical Council for Culture and international sports organizations was entitled Sports at the “Service of Humanity”,  and focused its attention on sport as a means of dialogue and encounter.

One of those taking part in the initiative was Linda Del Rio, an executive consultant of the Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS) Varsity Catholic Mission in the United States.

Listen to Lydia O’Kane’s interview with Linda Del Rio

She explained to Lydia O’Kane the mission’s remit. “We do basically high school and pro mostly baseball fellowship charity events in support for athletes at that level. She went on say that her role is that of a mentor to the young athletes. “I work with the coaching on campus and troubleshoot any problems that they have…”

Mrs Del Rio sees the field sport as a real platform for evangelisation adding that like Saint John Paul II, Pope Francis has really enriched sport as a means of encounter.

Asked about what she will take back from her time at the seminar, she said, she and the missionaries who accompanied her are going to “go back buoyed up by the experience here is Rome, “and spread the word and the Gospel…”