"All of the noble sacrifices we make are important in the Christian life, even when they take place in seemingly insignificant human activities such as sport," it stated.
Sports also provide a way, according to the text, to combat the negative impacts of the technological and digital revolutions – such as the increase in anxiety, loneliness, and isolation among youth – with the benefit of face-to-face interaction and engagement with others.
Titled "Giving the Best of Yourself" it is the first major document to be issued by the dicastery on laity, family, and life, which was instituted by Pope Francis in August 2016.
The 30-page document had its genesis before that, however, said Farrell, noting that it has been in the works for about three to four years.
In a letter to Cardinal Farrell, praising the publication of the document, Pope Francis said that sports are a "very rich source of values and virtues."
"Like the athlete during training, practicing sport helps us to give our best, to discover our limits without fear, and to struggle daily to improve," he said. "In this way, 'to the extent that each Christian grows in holiness, he or she will bear greater fruit for our world.'"
"For the Christian athlete, holiness will, therefore, consist in living sports as a means of encounter, personality formation, witnessing, and proclaiming the joy of being Christian with the people around oneself," he continued.
The Vatican text concluded with a pastoral proposal on sports, giving guidance to people involved in what they dubbed "sport pastoral ministry," including parents, families, coaches, managers, priests, consecrated, and religious.
Whether in parishes, schools, universities, amateur clubs, or professional sports arenas, "pastoral care through sport cannot be improvised, but requires people trained and motivated to… get involved in the service of a Christian vision of sport," it states.
Hannah Brockhaus is Catholic News Agency's senior Rome correspondent. She grew up in Omaha, Nebraska, and has a degree in English from Truman State University in Missouri.