Faith-fuelled athletes stride out at the Vatican

Running on faith, Catholic faithful sprinted along the main avenue leading to the Vatican in an unusual initiative hailed by Pope Francis as showing that believers are “spiritual athletes”.

The Vatican organised the “100 Metres of Running and Faith” event on Sunday, saying it wanted to highlight the “educational, cultural and spiritual values of the sporting practice”.

About 5,000 participants took part in the event in front of St Peter’s Square.

The Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Culture said the sprint was to be conducted “in a climate of prayer” and participants should “run to bring their message of faith and hope in the world”.