Kisvárda, HUNGARY — The small, peaceful town of Kisvárda, in eastern Hungary, has just been the scene of an international sporting event that its inhabitants won’t soon forget.

Nearly 200 Catholic priests from all over Europe competed in national teams in a great soccer tournament, Feb.10-14, attracting large crowds of supporters. The games were more precisely futsal, an indoor variation of soccer played with five players per side. 

Fifteen countries were represented at this annual European championship event now in its 17th year, which was won hands down by the Polish team in an atmosphere of fraternity and friendly rivalry. 

The participants saw it as a privileged opportunity to consolidate the bonds of solidarity that unite them in these difficult times for priests on the de-Christianized Old Continent and to more easily touch the hearts of young people thirsting for meaning and role models. 

At the request of the Auxiliary Bishop Kiss-Rigó László of Szeged-Csanád, the Greek-Catholic community was entrusted with the official organization of this international competition. The auxiliary bishop is also the former goalkeeper of the Hungarian national team.

“We saw it as a great opportunity to make our community better known,” Greek Catholic Archbishop Fülöp Kocsis told the Register. “We strived to make the games and ceremonies as professional as possible to offer priests and supporters an unforgettable experience.”

Kisvárda is located in the Diocese of Debrecen, seat of the Greek Catholic Church in Hungary, which numbers some 200,000 faithful. The Greek Catholic Church’s colors and traditions shone through during the competitions, which were attended by several Hungarian officials and Church leaders, including apostolic nuncio Archbishop Michael Banach.

 

A Platform for Brotherhood and Solidarity

Launched in Austria in 2003 on the initiative of a group of Croatian priests, the tournament was initially conceived as a friendly competition designed to bring together priests from across Europe. Over the years, it has grown into a significant annual event, offering not only a platform for showcasing athletic talent but also an opportunity to strengthen the positive image of the Catholic Church. Beyond the matches, the program included daily Masses, prayer times and cultural activities, providing a holistic experience for all participants.

This year’s tournament featured teams from Albania, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Belarus, Croatia, Czech Republic, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia. Among the players was Father Bonifacio Sarte Lopez, goalkeeper for the Vatican soccer team at the “Clericus Cup” world championship held in Rome almost every year.

For the ninth time since the championship’s launch, the title went to Poland, which beat Slovakia 4-0 in the final. Croatia, participating as defending champions, took third place, while Hungary, hosting the tournament for the second time, came in fourth. The matches were held at the City Sports Hall and the Szent László Catholic High School in Kisvárda.

“This championship is more than just a sporting event; it’s a celebration of our shared faith and the joy of community,” said Hungarian Greek Catholic priest Daniel Kocsis, a former professional football player who gave up his career to embrace the priesthood. “Through football, we find common ground, we build friendships, and exchange pastoral experiences that enrich our spiritual lives,” Father Kocsis added.

His words echoed those of Archbishop Banach who, in his homily for the opening Mass Feb. 10, highlighted that this event is not only about the love of movement and sport, but also about the desire of priests from different countries and cultures to know each other’s issues, challenges and joys and to share their pastoral experiences. 

“The many times of prayer and recollection that punctuated these days together gave full meaning to the games, whose ultimate aim is for everyone to leave strengthened in their faith and ministry,” Archbishop Kocsis said. 

To this end, the participants also gathered Feb. 12 at the nearby sanctuary of Máriapócs, home to an icon of the Weeping Madonna, where local Greek Catholic Bishop Ábel Szocska celebrated Mass. They also visited the new — and world’s first — Greek-Catholic Museum as well as St. Nicholas Cathedral in Nyíregyháza.

By improvising as footballers for the duration of their stay, the priests were also able to enjoy some welcome moments of lightheartedness at a time when their spirits are often shaken by the vocation crisis in Europe and the various scandals targeting the Church. 

For Father Michael Semmelmayer from Austria, these shared moments were also an opportunity to give the many young priests participating for the first time a strong sense of belonging to a community that transcends borders. “In football, as in faith, we learn to support one another, respect our differences and work as a team,” he said, adding that he was struck by the general elation in the whole city of Kisvárda. 

 

Building Bridges Through Sport

Indeed, the matches attracted large crowds of supporters of all ages and backgrounds, with more than 1,500 people attending Hungary’s semifinal match on the evening of Feb. 13, while thousands from all over Europe followed the competitions live on social networks. 

It was on this dimension of the evangelizing power of sport that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán focused his letter to the participants, read out at the awards ceremony. “I once asked a missionary what was the easiest way to lead children to Christ; he answered: Throw a ball among them, and you will see that after playing a few matches with them, you can talk to them about God,” he wrote. “Because football, like the gospel, is for everyone; a common denominator that can unite the most diverse people and nations.” 

Reflecting on the deeper meaning of such an event, Father Semmelmayer noted the positive impact that the  “priest championship.” can have in the world. “It is particularly important nowadays that the world sees that priests are ‘normal’ people who play football and have fun.” 

This point of view is shared by Father Kocsis, who considers that “a priest playing soccer or doing any kind of sport is always ‘curious’ enough to attract attention and convey a strong message.”

“Whenever a priest comes out of his church, of his school, where normally priests are, to go down on the field, they show in a concrete way that they fully belong to their community,” he continued. “These moments of shared joy were very strong and will remain forever with all those who attended.”

Next year’s championship will take place in Poland, at a date and venue yet to be confirmed. In the meantime, the priest footballers will be able to rest and draw inspiration from cherished memories and strengthened ties with other participants. 

“What happened here in Kisvárda, in this small town in Hungary, is totally unique,” Archbishop Kocsis concluded. “It is my deep hope that this event will have sown fruitful and lasting seeds in people’s hearts and that it will be able to influence, if only in a small way, the state of faith in Europe.”