World Cup: Ahead of final, bishop warns against making sports an idol
Ahead of the 2026 World Cup final, which will see the national soccer teams of Spain and Argentina face off on Sunday, the bishop of Orihuela-Alicante in Spain, José Ignacio Munilla, reflected on the values of sport and the risk of idolatry.
Speaking on his program “Sixth Continent” on Radio María Spain regarding the sporting event, the Spanish prelate noted that soccer “possesses values that deserve to be recognized."
He said the Church “cultivates the spiritual values of sport,” which unites families and friends, creates opportunities for social connection in an increasingly individualistic society, and offers a chance to share joys and disappointments, among other virtues.
‘Who holds first place in our hearts?’ However, Munilla pointed out that “precisely because soccer stirs the human heart so deeply, it also becomes a magnificent mirror of our contradictions. For enjoying the sport is one thing, but turning it into a religion is something else entirely.”
“Our era has a curious way of manufacturing saints, but without holiness,” he added, referring to the attention lavished on sports stars, particularly soccer players.
While “it’s not wrong to admire someone…
