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Pope Francis writes letter of approval to the NHL on Declaration of Principles

By Nic Hendrickson

Pope Francis greets the crowd as he arrives for his general audience at St Peter's Square on May 28, 2014 at the Vatican. AFP PHOTO / ANDREAS SOLARO (Photo credit should read ANDREAS SOLARO/AFP/Getty Images)
Pope Francis greets the crowd as he arrives for his general audience at St Peter's Square on May 28, 2014 at the Vatican. AFP PHOTO / ANDREAS SOLARO (Photo credit should read ANDREAS SOLARO/AFP/Getty Images) /
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NHL receives The Vatican’s blessing on Declaration of Principles.

In what is likely some of the most random news this off-season, Pope Francis has written a letter of approval to the NHL on their Declaration of Principles. The Declaration of Principles, released by the NHL on Wednesday, is intended to promote inclusion, physical activity and health, sportsmanship and accessibility, and multiple other things.

What the NHL likely didn’t expect to happen was receiving a letter of approval from the Pope himself.

The letter penned by Pope Francis was read by Pat Lafontaine, who was invited to The Vatican last year to attend the Sports for the Service to Humanity conference that at least partially inspired the Declaration of Principles. Lafontaine has been at the forefront of this movement and many others to fight for inclusion in hockey.

As reported by Sports Net, Pope Francis had the following to say to the NHL:

"His holiness Pope Francis was pleased to learn that an international group of hockey organizations has chosen formally to adopt the Declaration of Principles that emerged from last year’s global conference on Sports for the Service of Humanity. His holiness trusts that this significant gesture will inspire greater appreciation of the pivotal role that’s played by sports and sportsmanship in training future generations to pursue personal excellence and to promote spiritual values of teamwork, solidarity, and mutual respect so necessary for building a more just and fraternal world.”"

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The Declaration of Principles is a fantastic idea for the league, and with the approval of the Pope himself, it shows that hockey and non-hockey fans alike are getting behind this idea.

Only one question remains: Who is Pope Francis’ favorite NHL team?

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