Pope John Paul, in a letter to the world's one billion Catholics, yesterday urged them to rediscover Sundays as not just part of the weekend but a day dedicated to God, the family and healthy entertainment.
In the 100-page Apostolic Letter, Dies Domini (The Day of the Lord), the Pope also sought to deal with the problem of low attendance at Sunday Mass in many countries. He reaffirmed Catholic law that it was a "grave sin" if Catholics missed Mass on Sundays deliberately and without a legitimate reason.
In Austria, which the Pope visited last month, only 17 per cent of Catholics attend Sunday Mass. In Rome itself, the figure is about 28 per cent, according to the Vatican, while it is below 10 per cent in other countries.
The Pope struck a paternalistic rather than authoritarian tone in the letter, saying he realised modern society often made it difficult to keep Sundays religious.
But while weekends of cultural, political or sporting activities were "by no means without positive aspects", Catholics had to keep God in Sundays first and foremost.
"Unfortunately, when Sunday loses its fundamental meaning and becomes merely part of a `weekend', it can happen that people stay locked within a horizon so limited that they can no longer see the heavens," he said.
The Pope made no reference to a debate in soccer-mad Italy, home to hundreds of thousands of `Sunday soccer widows', over whether matches should be moved to Saturday in order to give families more time to spend Sunday together.
But Bishop Geraldo Agnelo, secretary of the Vatican department for worship, deftly fielded a question on the debate at a news conference presenting the papal document.
"Sport is also part of that letting off of steam on Sundays. There is no harm in sports," said Bishop Agnelo, who also hails from a soccer-mad country, Brazil.
The Pope said Sundays should be a time to bring the family together because God often emerged in life's simple events.
Catholics should not use their Sundays "frivolously" and should avoid being enticed by "morally questionable forms of entertainment".
By keeping God in Sunday, the day could become "a moment when people can look anew upon the wonders of nature, allowing themselves to be caught up in the marvellous and mysterious harmony (of the universe)."