The English edition of L’Osservatore Romano for June 13th featured three photos. One is of Pope Francis watching a young girl gymnast. The second is in St. Peter's Square itself, on which a green carpet has been laid; on it are several other older women gymnasts. Finally, the Holy Father is pictured in the center of a soccer team with its manager and coach. The boys in blue jerseys look like late high school or early college age players. The pope is in the middle, next to the goalie, who is in orange.
The sub-title to the talk is this: “Don’t Approach Life on the Defensive or Settle for a Tie.” I read this advice during the World Cup matches; in fact just as the German-USA contest ended in a 1-0 German win. The Pope, I am sure, knows more about soccer than I do. But I must say that the essence of soccer is precisely the genius and drama of defense. A tie is better than a loss, so worth fighting for. “Tie-breakers,” overtime, extra points, and shoot-outs were all invented because the world cannot stand a tie! Even soccer cannot stand it at the highest levels.
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