Pope Benedict’s message for Euro 2012 soccer

(June 08, 2012) Pope Benedict XVI issued a message ahead of the kick-off of the European Football Championship, or Euro 2012, on Friday in Poland in which he declared football was like a school that taught people about respect for one another and how to make sacrifices for the good of the rest of the team. The German-born pontiff, whose predecessor Poland-born Blessed John Paul II was a well-regarded goalkeeper in his youth - added that football was also about fraternity and love. It was a pertinent and well-timed message for the championship, being co-hosted by Poland and Ukraine, has been overshadowed by some racist slant. Pope Benedict’s message was addressed to the president of the Polish bishops’ conference, Archbishop Józef Michalik of Przemyśl. "Team sport such as football is an important school in educating people to respect one another - as well as one's opponent - on how to make sacrifices for others and the value of the gifts of each element that makes up the team," said the 85-year old pontiff. "In a word, it is something that bypasses individual logic and of egotism, which often characterises human relations, and replaces it by fraternity and love, one that promotes a genuine good at all levels," he said. "The sense of fraternity, magnanimity, honesty and respect for the body are without doubt indispensable to every good athlete," the Pope added.