Camille Dalmas
Wendie Renard and Bishop Emmanuel Gobillard.
Camille Dalmas – Published on January 12, 2022
«Faith is important. Either you have it or you don’t, but you can’t fake it… or else you’re just lying to yourself, because He up there sees everything! » said Wendie Renard, 31, the iconic defender for Olympique Lyonnais and captain of the French national soccer team, after meeting Pope Francis on Wednesday, January 12.
With her tall stature (1.87 m), it’s impossible to miss her as she walks between two Swiss Guards stationed at the entrance to the Vatican. Wendie Renard, accompanied by about ten other members of a delegation of Catholic athletes from Lyon—including some basketball players from the “Tony Parker Academy”—has just met with Pope Francis and then taken a stroll through the Vatican gardens. Beneath her mask, you can sense a broad smile.
This meeting with the Pope, following the general audience, is «a blessing at the start of this new year,» she explains. She says she is delighted to have been able to exchange a few words with him—first in French, then with the help of Bishop Emmanuel Gobillard, auxiliary bishop of Lyon and the archdiocese’s sports delegate, who organized this «pilgrimage of athletes.».
The signed Athletica Vaticana jersey
Describing herself from the outset as a «believer,» the soccer player explained that the Pope «was happy» to meet her and even «congratulated» her. She gave him two jerseys, one from the French national team and one from Olympique Lyonnais. During the audience, the Pope, for his part, autographed the jersey of the Athletica Vaticana—the Vatican City State’s sports team. «It’s a great joy,» continues the woman, who is visiting Rome for the first time and for whom faith is first and foremost a family matter. «I’ve been immersed in it since I was very young; my mother raised me in the faith, so for me it’s a natural path.».
With @WRenard and @EGobilliard Just outside the Vatican; apparently, the Athletica Vaticana just pulled off a great deal in the transfer market 😉 We're going to have to talk to the pope @JM_Aulas @OL
What’s her take on Pope Francis? «He really likes sports,» she notes, adding that he discussed the inevitable Lionel Messi—star of the Argentine national team—with Bishop Gobillard. The pope’s interest in “La Pulga”—a player for rival team Paris Saint-Germain—is something Wendie Renard says she understands perfectly.
Faith guides us in our daily lives.
Like the Argentine player, the French national team player has no trouble talking about her faith: «It’s important; it’s what guides us every day,» she says. She continues quite candidly: «When we wake up in the morning and breathe, when we can eat and speak… There are many who can’t do that. It’s God who gives us all of that. We have to recognize that and be content with what we have.» For the player, faith is all about tenacity: «Either you give it your all, or you’re just faking it.» An attitude that reflects her determination on the field.
