In a meeting held at the Vatican, His Holiness, Pope Francis, and the President of UCAM Universidad Católica de Murcia, José Luis Mendoza, talked about the importance of sports because of the values it treasures and the relevant role of the athlete as promoter of such values, being an example followed by society as a whole and having a special influence on young people. During the meeting, they talked about the international relevance that UCAM has in sports promotion and about the trajectory of its different teams and Olympic athletes. Furthermore, the Pope expressed his support for the project of the Spanish Olympic Committee, in collaboration with UCAM, which aims at promoting sports among the refugees of the Spanish Refugee Aid Commission (CEAR), with sports facilities and technicians.

José Luis Mendoza presented Pope Francis with a t-shirt of the UCAM Murcia Basketball Club and another one of the UCAM Murcia Football Club. Furthermore, the Pope signed a t-shirt of each team, which the president brought to Murcia and offered to the clubs and their fans.

According to Pope Francis “it is important to communicate this joy that sports transmits, which is the same as when a person's potential is discovered, which calls us to unveil the beauty of the creation of the human being himself, since he is made in the image and likeness of God”. On the occasion of the publication of the document ‘Giving the best of yourself’, on the Christian perspective on sports and the human person, developed by the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life, Pope Francis wrote a message in which he highlighted the role of the Church in this field, stating that “sport is a rich source of values and virtues that help us to become better people”, thus he encouraged those who belong to the sports world to “exemplify the virtues of generosity, humility, sacrifice, constancy, and cheerfulness”.