VATICAN CITY -- The Pontifical Council for Culture is hosting in the Vatican, with the support of Pope Francis, ‘Sport at the Service of Humanity’ -- the first global conference on Faith and Sport from Wednesday to Friday, the Vatican said Tuesday.

 The Opening Ceremony, in the afternoon of Wednesday Oct. 5, 2016, at the Vatican’s Paul VI Audience Hall, will be led by the pontiff, with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach invited as special guests.

 Allianz is the founding partner of ‘Sport at the Service of Humanity,’ with  the United Nations and the International Olympic Committee as special supporters of the event.

 “Challenge yourself in the game of life, as you do in the game of sport” was the inspirational message of two years ago from the pope, taken as the starting point for ‘Sport at the Service of Humanity’ and its vision -- bringing together global leaders and influencers from different faiths and from the worlds of Sport and business to produce positive, actionable results on society.

 To achieve this goal, ‘Sport at the Service of Humanity’ will launch a Movement to develop, through sport, life skills, character, values and enjoyment of life, inspiring every organization and individual to live in accordance with six Principles -- compassion, respect, love, enlightenment, balance and joy.

 The six principles will be the common ground for Sport Ambassadors, Faith Leaders and other influencers to start this joint path.

 The Conference is organized by the Pontifical Council for Culture under the leadership of Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi and welcomes the presence of Faith Leaders of the major religious traditions.

 “Authentic Sport is an expression of a fundamental category of the human person”, says Cardinal Ravasi. “It is a free manifestation of creativity, fantasy and potential. This noble activity can degenerate through well-known devastating elements. But Sport, in its origins as today, is part of the paideia, the educational and personal growing process that can bring eurythmia (harmony) between body and soul.”

 “Sport helps youth find courage, resilience and inspiration, and to overcome barriers to social inclusion,” says Oliver Bäte, CEO of Allianz. “That is why we strongly support this conference and the mission of the ‘Humanity Sports Club,’ which will promote the transformational power of Sport worldwide.”

 Oct. 5, the Opening Ceremony with Pope Francis will be hosted in the Paul VI Hall at 3:30 pm.

 On the same day, a special concert by renowned pianist Lang Lang will be hosted at the Vatican.

 Oct. 6, the Opening Plenary will discuss the main Conference vision: Why Faith & Sport?

Three main themes will follow: ‘Inspiration’ -- the means for Sport to inspire change, promote respect, love and tolerance; ‘Inclusion’ -- the importance of promoting diversity and social responsibility; ‘Inovlement’ -- how stakeholders can turn principles into actions.

 Friday Oct. 7, after the second Plenary Session, and an Open Discussion, the Conference will conclude with an Action Plan.

 nkd