You won’t guess what the Pope just blessed

One wouldn’t think Pope Benedict XVI cares one way or the other about snow skiing. Oh, but he does. In fact, he just blessed the sport.

MetroSnow.co.uk reported Wednesday that a group of Italian ski instructors visited the Pope at the Vatican on Monday. Pope Benedict raised his hands (maybe, we're not really sure) and he told the group:


Pope Benedict XVI

 "Your engagement as 'ski masters' helps to boost certain capacities, for example steadfastness in pursing aims, respect for the rules, tenacity in confronting and surmounting difficulties.

"In all sporting activities, a person understands better that their body should not be considered an object ... but that it allows them to express themselves and establish relations with others.

"In this way, the balance between the physical and spiritual dimensions leads one not to idolise [sic] the body but to respect it."

Wow. Thoughtful. Insightful. Incredible.

So was he actually blessing the sport of skiing or merely giving his blessing for people to enjoy the sport? Sounded like he blessed skiing. And skiers.

Either way, the Pope definitely approves of gliding down mountains of snow. And, yes, he was an avid skier in his younger days.

Wonder if he’d bless skydiving.

A nod of the ski cap to Outside  for the tip.

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