VATICAN CITY – Inter Campus visited Vatican City between 5 and 7 October to take part in the first global Vatican conference on Faith and Sport, which was led by Pope Francis and brought together some of the leading names in religion, sport, culture and economics.
The aim of the conference was to discuss sport’s incredible potential as a catalyst for peace.
It was a message expertly summarised by Pope Francis himself: "Sport makes it possible for us to build a culture of exchange and a world of peace. I dream of sport as a way of teaching human dignity, transformed into a vehicle for brotherhood."
Present at the opening ceremony, which was presided over by Pope Francis, were Massimo and Milly Moratti. The pair were welcomed by Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, president of the Pontifical Council for Culture. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and IOC president Thomas Bach were in attendance as guests of honour, while Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby was also present.
After speeches by Pope Francis, Ban Ki-moon and Thomas Bach, the afternoon of 5 October saw the conference alternate between moments of reflection, music and choreography, while famous athletes from Italy and abroad introduced the six core principles of the event: compassion, respect, honour, inspiration, balance and joy.
The following days were dedicated to exploring each of these principles and analysing the potential of sport, with the Inter Campus team taking part in a series of round table discussions.
There were several opportunities for the team to present the Inter Campus project and mission to the attendees, who ranged from former Olympic athletes to NGO personnel, sports associations and sponsors of social projects to politicians and government association representatives.
During the Refugees round table, Massimo Seregni and Chiara Brambilla spoke about Inter Campus’ practical approach, explaining how the initiative has been restoring children’s right to play in 29 countries for 20 years. The two used the examples of Israel and Iran, where Inter Campus works with African and Afghan refugees respectively, to illustrate the work the project does.
Photographs kindly supplied by L’Osservatore Romano.
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