Pope Francis writes a handwritten letter to Alessandro Zanardi

Placed in intensive care and tried in a condition of concern for doctors following a serious collision with a truck on Friday June 19, Alessandro Zanardi clearly moved well beyond the sporting sphere. 

His fate indeed affects the highest level of the Vatican. Pope Francis wrote a handwritten letter and sent it to the Italian daily La Gazzetta dello Sport this Wednesday, June 24. The sovereign pontiff reveals his admiration for the career of the double CART champion, leg amputee after an accident at the Lausitzring (Germany) in 2001 and Paralympic hanbike champion. 

“Dear Alessandro, your story is an example of how to be able to start again after a sudden stop. Thanks to sport, you have learned to be an actor in your life, making disability a lesson in humanity. 

I pray for you... Thank you for giving strength to those who had lost it... In this very painful moment I am close to you, I pray for you and your family. May the Lord bless you and may Our Lady keep you. »

This is not the first time that Pope Francis, whose real name is Jorge Mario Bergoglio, has been linked to motorsport. In April 2019, a bust of Ayrton Senna had been handed over to him, while the pilot Alfa Romeo en Formula 1, Antonio Giovinazzi, had the opportunity to meet him last February.

The Argentine Pope also spoke with several pilots of Formula E and blessed a car on the occasion of the arrival of the electric competition in the Italian capital in spring 2018.