More than 150 Catholic priests from across southern Peru recently traded vestments for soccer jerseys, gathering not simply to compete for a championship but to strengthen fraternity, encourage vocations, and witness to the joy of the priesthood through sport.
According to EWTN News, priests representing the dioceses of Puno, Cusco, Abancay, Ayacucho, Huancavelica, Huancayo, and Tarma met on July 2 for the 2026 Clergy Champions tournament, an annual event that has grown into a cherished tradition throughout the Peruvian Andes.
The championship concluded with a dramatic final between Huancavelica and Cusco. After regulation ended in a draw, the title was decided in a penalty shootout. Huancavelica’s goalkeeper stopped Cusco’s final attempt before Father Santiago Salazar calmly converted the winning penalty, securing the championship for his diocese and sending players, seminarians, and spectators into celebration.
According to EWTN News, the victory sparked an emotional celebration as priests and seminarians gathered on the field, singing the St. John Mary Vianney hymn composed by the late Bishop Emeritus William Molloy of Huancavelica.
The tournament traces its roots back nearly a decade to a small gathering of priests who had studied together in the major seminary in Abancay. Father José Raúl Ayuque Tornero, one of the event’s organizers, explained that its foundation was built on lasting friendships among clergy.
“Its origins are deeply rooted in ‘fraternity and friendship among the priests,'” Ayuque said. “At first, it was simply a get-together of friends.”
What began with only three dioceses has steadily expanded to include seven jurisdictions, with organizers hoping to eventually welcome the dioceses of Ica, Arequipa, and Tacna so the tournament can represent all of southern Peru.
While the championship trophy is eagerly contested, organizers repeatedly emphasized that the event’s greatest purpose extends far beyond competition.
“These gatherings strengthen our own sanctification as priests,” Ayuque said. “We meet older, younger, and newly ordained priests from different backgrounds, and we see how the Lord continues to call each one amid varying circumstances.”
He also believes athletics can play an important role in encouraging priestly vocations by teaching cooperation and Christian community.
“It helps us learn to live as a team, to understand that life must be built seeking communion, knowing how to share, show solidarity, and always feel the presence of our brother,” he said.
Father Doroteo Borda López, who participated in the tournament, described the event as an authentic expression of ecclesial communion.
“It’s a way for us to participate as priests of a local Church and to come together,” Borda said. “Getting together with nearly 150 priests and seeing that sport unites, heals, and is also part of spirituality is something very valuable.”
He added that the tournament also helps young people recognize the humanity of priests while witnessing their commitment to Christ.
“On the field, we get angry, we play, we run, and we have our differences, but afterward, we continue sharing our lives,” Borda said.
Respect among participants was another hallmark of the event. Referee Daniel Jorge Cruz Olarte praised the sportsmanship displayed throughout the tournament.
“They are wholesome people; they respect the referee, they respect their teammates and opponents, and they experience the sport with a spirit of fraternity,” he said.
According to EWTN News, Huancavelica has one of Peru’s youngest presbyterates, with an average priestly age of about 35, a factor organizers believe contributes to the enthusiasm surrounding the annual competition.
Ayuque also emphasized that physical fitness should remain an important part of seminary formation because the human person is created as both body and soul.
“In our seminaries, we strive to dedicate at least one hour a day to sports, since the human person is both body and soul,” he said.
“Sport prepares our nature for a personal encounter with the Lord and helps us view the world with greater joy and optimism,” he added.
For many of the priests who gathered in Huancavelica, the tournament demonstrated that ordinary human activities—including athletics—can become opportunities to strengthen Christian fellowship, foster vocations, and glorify God through joyful service.
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