Sport and Christianity: A Sign of the Times in the Light of Faith PDF
Preview Sport and Christianity: A Sign of the Times in the Light of Faith
Sport & Christianity SSppoortr &t & Christianity Christianity A Sign of the Times in the Light of Faith Edited by Kevin Lixey, L.C., Christoph Hübenthal, Dietmar Mieth, and Norbert Müller The Catholic University of America Press Washington, D.C. Originally published as Dietmar Mieth, Norbert Müller, Christoph Hübenthal, Sport und Christentum: Eine anthropologische, theologische und pastorale Herausforderung (Matthias-Grünewald-Verlag, 2008). Copyright © 2012 The Catholic University of America Press All rights reserved The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standards for Information Science—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z39.48-1984. ∞ Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Wissenschaftliches Symposium “Zur christlichen Sicht des Sports” (2007 : Akademie des Bistums Mainz) [Sport und Christentum. English.] Sport and Christianity : a sign of the times in the light of faith / edited by Kevin Lixey . . . [et. al.]. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-8132-1993-6 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Sports—Religious aspects—Catholic Church—Congresses. 2. Sports—Moral and ethical aspects—Congresses. I. Lixey, Kevin, 1968– II. Title. GV706.42.W5713 2007 796.01—dc23 2012011700 Contents Foreword to English edition by Leszek Sibilski vii Preface by Dietmar Mieth ix Acknowledgments xvii Introduction: The Christian Mission within the Field of Sport 1 Bishop Josef Clemens Part 1. Anthropological Aspects 13 1. Man, Mortality, and the Athletic Hero: Yesterday and Today 15 Karen Joisten 2. Overcoming Dualism: The Unity of the Human Person in Sport 39 Pedro Barrajón, L.C. 3. Morality and Beauty: Sport at the Service of the Human Person 61 Christoph Hübenthal Part 2. Theological Aspects 79 4. Biblical and Patristic Foundations for Sport 81 Alois Koch, S.J. vi Contents 5. Sport in the Magisterium of Pius XII 104 Kevin Lixey, L.C. 6. Sport in the Magisterium of John Paul II 121 Bishop Carlo Mazza 7. Sport in the Magisterium of Benedict XVI 139 Bishop Josef Clemens 8. A Christian Vision of Sport 156 Dietmar Mieth Part 3. Pastoral Aspects 187 9. Sport as a Sign of the Times: Pastoral Observations and Challenges 189 Stephan Goertz 10. Sport as a Pastoral Opportunity: The Sports Chaplain 206 Bernhard Maier, S.D.B. 11. Concrete Pastoral Action within Sport 223 Norbert Müller Bibliography 235 Contributors 247 Index 249 Foreword Did you ever wonder what the Fathers of the Church had to say about the sports of their time? Would you like to know what Pius XII had to say about sport when meeting with coaches from Princeton, Stanford, Michigan State, and Penn State colleges—all of whom were afliated with the military Central Sports School? Are you aware that a papal condemnation of doping dates back to 1955? Would you be surprised to read that John Paul II—the sport- ing pope—compared modern sport to a “sign of the times”? Did you know that some Catholic priests ofcially form part of national Olympic teams as sport chaplains? To sum it all up: “Is there such a thing as a Catholic perspective of sport?” Up until now, fnding an answer to these questions would have been quite difcult in the English language. Although for many years the Catholic Bishops’ Conferences of Italy, Germany, and Po- land have had a national ofce for sport that in the past few decades has discussed aspects of sport from a Catholic theological and pas- toral perspective, there is little of such investigation to be found in English. Thus, the following publication seeks to change the status quo. This volume contains the English translation of the European semi- nar “Sport and Christianity: Anthropological, Theological, and Pas- toral Challenges” that was held March 1–4, 2007, in Mainz, Germany. vii viii Leszek Sibilski The seminar was a unique and historic collaborative efort between the Vatican’s “Church and Sport” ofce and the Scientifc Commis- sion of the Church and Sport working group of the Catholic German Bishops’ Conference. As a few years have passed since these semi- nar proceedings were published in German, this edition has been updated. It includes two additional chapters: one on sport in the magisterium of Cardinal Ratzinger/Benedict XVI and a fnal chap- ter that ofers some practical points regarding pastoral action in this feld. Although it is not proper to speak of a “Christian sport” per se, it is, however, ftting to speak of how Christianity specifcally en- lightens sporting activities by ofering discernment criteria and by broadening sport‘s horizons, enabling sport to remain open to the deeper questions of human existence. For this end, various theolog- ical elements were examined, beginning with sport in sacred Scrip- ture, the early Church Fathers, and recent pontifs. These fndings were complemented by an approach to sport in light of the Second Vatican Council, with its emphasis on interpreting and responding to the signs of the times, which must include the social dimension of sport as a world phenomenon. Rather than drawing together a series of conclusions, this publication seeks to provoke debate and ongoing refection on the relationship between Christianity and sport in its anthropological, theological, and pastoral dimensions. Especially in the United States, there seems to be growing in- terest in joining forces in order to defend the dignity of the human person and to recover and maintain sport’s recreational and for- mative dimension. Consequently, I envision this book as a sort of bridge that not only crosses the divide between the German and English languages, but also can serve to unite Christians, people of other faiths, and people of goodwill in this common mission of safeguarding and enlightening sport. LeSZek J. SIBILSkI, The Catholic University of America Preface Allow me to share some considerations with the reader of these seminar proceedings, now being published in the English language. I would like to simply highlight some of the points made throughout this work. I realize my selection is very subjective, but nonetheless it serves as an overview to the following chapters. First of all, the introduction to this study is ofered by Bishop Josef Clemens, a longstanding member of the Roman Curia, who worked for more than twenty years as the personal secretary to Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, and since 2004 as Bishop has been the secretary of the Pontifcal Council for the Laity. He raises two important points that I would like to draw to your attention. The frst point refers to the operations of the new Church and Sport section of his Vatican dicastery, whose task it is to coordinate the Church’s worldwide initiatives in this area according to the aims established by the Holy See. Here you can fnd out more about the goals and projects of this ofce, which was established in the Vatican in 2004 at the request of the Servant of God, John Paul II. It sufces to say that the seminar in Mainz in 2007 and the pub- lication of these proceedings in German and now in English are concrete ways we wish to lend our support to these eforts. Bishop Clemens also mentions his desire for the eventual publication of a comprehensive document on sport for the beneft of the Universal ix
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