«In recent weeks the Olympic and Paralympic Games will be a kind of festival of the body. The athletes will face the races for which they have been preparing for a long time. And the body will tell its adventures and will be able to instruct the city and all those who know how to listen: the story in fact is like a life lesson, it is like a severe sermon, it is like a touching confidence.”
It is from this image that the homily of the Archbishop of Milan begins, Mario Delpini, in the Basilica of San Babila, the “spiritual heart” of Olympic Milan, during the Mass for the reception of the Sportsmen’s Cross and on the eve of Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympics and Paralympics scheduled, the first, from 6 to 22 February, and the second from 6 to 15 March.
Before the celebration, the Cross – which since London 2012 has been entrusted by Athletica Vaticana to the Diocese hosting the Games – is carried in procession by Corso Monforte and placed on the altar before the Eucharistic celebration presided over by Archbishop Delpini and concelebrated, among others, by Monsignor Paul Tighe, secretary of the Vatican Dicastery for Culture and Education, Don Michele Gianola, undersecretary of the CEI and interim director of the National Office for the pastoral care of free time, tourism and sport, the bishop of Belluno-Feltre Monsignor Renato Marangoni, the director of the Fom (Foundation of Milanese Orators) Don Stefano Guidi and the Olympic chaplain of the CEI Don Franco Finocchio.
The Cross is made up of fifteen fragments of wood from different parts of the world: to recall, following Saint Paul, that the members are many but the body is one while, in the centre, the shape of the Crucifix reminds us that unity is not born from homologation, but from the gift of self; not from competition, but from communion.
Asceticism, morality and competition: the body that educates
Delpini’s reflection places the body at the centre, not as an instrument or spectacle, but as a profound language of the human. «The body of athletes of the Olympics and Paralympics», underlines the archbishop, «he will tell you how much will is needed to face the efforts and hardships of training. A school of asceticism». In that daily effort, often invisible, Delpini reads a lesson that goes beyond sport: education in patience, perseverance, the ability to postpone the result to build it over time.
But the body, the archbishop insists, also speaks of something else: «He will say how much virtue is necessary to guard the passions, the whims, the seductions of artificial performance, the laziness that gives in to tiredness, the inconstancy that is given to transgressions.” It’s a real one “school of morality”, which unmasks shortcuts and reminds us that not everything that is possible is also right.
Delpini also refers to the competitive spirit of sport which, however, must not become an absolute idol: «The body of Olympians and Paralympians», says the archbishop, «he will say what fortitude is needed to accept defeat without getting depressed, to experience victory without getting excitedto experience the disorganized reactions of others, the unexpected anger, the irritating nitpicks, the paralyzing discouragements. A school of life” that teaches not to identify with the result.
Relationship, disability and freedom: a school of humanity
Then there is the relational dimension, often forgotten in sport experienced as exasperated competition and reduced only to competing: «You will say how much kindness is necessary to cultivate team spirit, coordinate movements with others in the team; will tell you what humility it requires to let yourself be led by the coach to correct yourself and improve.” It is, Delpini underlines, “a school of humanity”, where one learns to be with others and not against others.
The reflection on disability is particularly intense, in the context of the Paralympics: «He will say how much freedom is necessary to recognize that we are not perfect and compare ourselves with the performances of beautiful and young athletes, and recognize the condition of disability without making it a torment and instead experience it as one’s own condition for expressing talents and challenging limits. A school of audacity and imagination.”
Delpini’s invitation is clear: the Olympic spirit must not be suffocated by noise, by superficiality, by the obsession with performance.
For this reason, in the Basilica of San Babila, the essential sign of the Cross of athletes is welcomed: «The body of Christ, crucified out of love, is the opening to go beyond and welcome the mystery». A cross that does not flaunt, but suggests; which does not impose, but invites: «The Cross of sportsmen», he explains, «it is more a glimmer than a figure: the body of Christ, crucified out of love, is the opening to go beyond and welcome the mystery. The absent body encourages questions, gaze, attention. The cross of athletes”, the archbishop recalls, “will remain in this church for the days of the Olympics and Paralympics and for those who know how to listen it will speak as a glorious body speaks, the absent body that attracts the gaze, provokes the memory, fuels amazement and convinces us to sing the Easter hallelujah”. Because, concludes Delpini, “if you want to know what love is, if you want to know if there is hope, look to Jesus, adore the crucified and risen body and follow him”.
Also Pope Leo XIVwith a telegram signed by the Secretary of State Paroline, sent a message which was read at the end of the celebration: «These days of healthy competition contribute to building bridges between cultures and peoples, promoting acceptance, solidarity and peace». The Pontiff then hoped that “the important event will arouse feelings of friendship and brotherhood, strengthening awareness of the value of sport at the service of the integral development of the human person”.
The “For Each Other” project
A simple but evocative celebration whose meaning, explains the Ambrosian diocese, is to «entrust the time of the Games to God on the eve of the beginning of the Olympic Truce, so that sport is truly a space for meeting and not for exclusion, an opportunity for shared excellence and not for idolatry of performance, an experience of respect and friendship capable of safeguarding every person, especially the most fragile».
A hope that will be expressed until mid-March with numerous initiatives that the Ambrosian church has organised, in parallel with the Olympic Games, in the “For Each Other” project which intertwines faith, sport, culture and international dialogue, offering the city and visitors an open and participatory experience. A path that involves churches, cultural institutions and young volunteers, with the aim of promoting the values of sport, beauty and encounter.
The spiritual fulcrum of the initiative is the Basilica of San Babilawhich will become the church of athletes, and will host international Masses in English, French, German and Italian on the Sundays of 8 and 15 February and 8 March 2026.
Also in San Babila it will be possible to visit the exhibition “A sport of value, from the Olympic Charter to our playing fields”, open to all. An exhibition that invites us to reflect on sport as an educational and social tool, capable of transmitting values such as respect, loyalty, inclusion and commitment.
Alongside spiritual and cultural moments, there is also space for sharing and meeting in Excellence Village, set up in the church of Sant’Antonio (via Sant’Antonio 5), designed as a place for dialogue and exchange between sporting, associative and educational experiences. Particular attention is paid to young con “The Way of Beauty”, a journey guided by volunteers under 30 who will accompany visitors to discover the artistic and spiritual heritage of the churches in the historic center of Milan. The visits, free and open to all, will take place in Italian, English and French in the basilicas of San Babila, Sant’Eustorgio, San Lorenzo and in the church of Santa Maria presso San Satiro, from 7 to 22 February and from 7 to 15 March 2026. A theatrical event is also scheduled: “Citius Altius Fortius”, show organized by the Giovanni Paolo II Foundation for Sport, scheduled for Tuesday 24 February at 8.45 pm at the Collegio San Carlo.
