Pope Leo XIV receives Romanian star swimmer David Popovici before Sette Colli competition
Romania’s David Popovici met Pope Leo XIV on Thursday, June 25, in the Clementine Hall of the Apostolic Palace in Rome during an event that included the Italian Swimming Federation and the participants in the 62nd edition of the Sette Colli Trophy competition.
When he arrived in front of the Pope, David exchanged a few words with him and offered him a personalised swimming cap as a gift.
During his speech at the event, the Pope said that “sport, when experienced beautifully, is medicine for the body and for the spirit. It integrates the different components of the person and directs them towards very important values, such as dedication, solidarity, and honesty.”
He also noted that sport is an opportunity for spiritual growth. “And swimming, in this sense, has something special. Indeed, it is practised by immersing oneself in an element, water, which surrounds the person. This symbolically recalls an aspect that has defined us since our mother’s womb: to live means learning to move in harmony with others and with the surrounding environment. For us Christians, moreover, water is the symbol of Baptism and of new life in Christ,” Pope Leo argued, according to VaticanNews.va.
The head of the Catholic Church also said that events such as the Sette Colli offer a sign of hope, being peaceful encounters between people.
The 21-year-old Romanian swimmer will compete this weekend in the pool at Foro Italico. He will compete on all three days of the Sette Colli Trophy, in the 50, 100, and 200 m freestyle events, a useful test that swimmers need before the European Championships in Paris (10–16 August).
Before leaving Romania, the Olympic, world, and European champion gave several statements about the competition in Italy. “The atmosphere is always extraordinary in Italy. I really enjoy competing there, especially in this pool. Every time I have competed there, a very large number of Romanians have also come,” he said, cited by GSP.ro.
Also present at the meeting with the Pope was Camelia Potec, president of the Romanian Swimming and Modern Pentathlon Federation.
(Photo source: vaticannews.va)
