Vatican Sets Up Sports Department

[Khephra]

VATICAN CITY -- He made saves as a soccer goalkeeper in his high school years in Poland, skied and kayaked in Europe and swam laps in the papal pool. Now Pope John Paul II has set up a sports department to give the Vatican a kind of new playing field in its drive to spread Christian values around the world.

The Vatican announced the initiative Tuesday, pointing to the millions of people who will follow the Olympics in Athens this month as proof of the important role sports plays in today's world.

"The Holy Father has always been interested in sports, and as a means of evangelization and a great way to form youth," said the Rev. Kevin Lixey, an American priest involved in establishing the department in the Pontifical Council for Lay People.

With doping scandals and fan violence marring cycling, soccer and other sports, the pope's initiative is aimed in part at countering negative images, said Lixey, a member of the Legionaries of Christ, a conservative religious institute with headquarters in Rome.

snip....

John Paul wants to make "the Holy See's solicitude felt in the world of sports," the Vatican said.

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/world/wire/sns-ap-vatican-pope-sports,0,1308998.story?coll=sns-ap-world-headlines

[Fenris]

1. Will the Pope be playing, too?

:evilgrin:

[Khephra]

2. Is shuffleboard a recognized sport?

;-)

[Sabriel]

10. He'll run the anchor leg in the "Keeping women and queers down" relay.

Talk about a ridiculous PR move! Gad.

[Neshanic]

3. Related...Vatican signs deal with Nike; "The Chosen" product line.

[wordout]

4. Team NAMBLA

[Name removed]

5. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[tlcandie]

6. hahah!!!!!

:yourock:

[wordout]

7. Why would a Boy from Baltimore be nippin?

What's he gonna do come 'yank my post?

[Crowdance]

9. We're not sure why he does it

Personal mission or something. May be tryin' to yank your post. who knows?

[htuttle]

8. There has to be a Monty Python skit in this somewhere

Something involving miters and rugby, maybe.

[muriel_volestrangler]

11. 'Viz' magazine (funny, rude cartoons) has a character called

"Topless Skateboarding Nun". Sadly, no examples are available on the internet. The best I can do is direct you to the list of rock climbs on 'Viz Wall' in Frogsmouth Quarry:
http://www.megagrip.co.uk/Frogs1.htm