Pope Francis’ desire for Olympics is to foster world peace, which is ‘seriously threatened’

“The Olympic Games are, by their very nature, about peace, not war,” Pope Francis emphasized, noting that “the five intertwined rings represent the spirit of fraternity that should characterize the Olympic event and sporting competition in general.” / Credit: Ibex73, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

ACI Prensa Staff, Jul 19, 2024 / 14:47 pm (CNA).

In a message addressed to Archbishop Laurent Ulrich of Paris, Pope Francis expressed his fervent desire that the upcoming Olympic Games would foster world peace, which he said is “seriously threatened,” and follow the tradition of the ancient world of establishing a truce during the competition.

“In these troubled times, when world peace is seriously threatened, it is my fervent desire that everyone will respect this truce in the hope of resolving conflicts and restoring harmony,” the pontiff said.

Pope Francis has also stressed that the Olympic Games, which begin Friday, July 26, and run through Sunday, Aug. 11, in Paris, can “be an exceptional forum for encounters between peoples, even the most hostile,” and an occasion “to break down prejudices, to foster esteem where there is contempt and mistrust, and friendship where there is hatred.” 

“The Olympic Games are, by their very nature, about peace, not war,” he pointed out, noting that “the five intertwined rings represent the spirit of fraternity that should characterize the Olympic event and sporting competition in general.”

The Holy Father also said that he hopes the organization of the Olympic Games “will be for all the people of France a wonderful opportunity for fraternal harmony, enabling us to go beyond differences and opposing views, and strengthen the unity of the nation.”

Addressing the Catholics in France, he encouraged them to open the doors of their hearts, bearing witness to the Christ who dwells within them and communicates his joy to them, specifically through “the gratuitousness and generosity of their welcoming everyone.”

Sports, a universal language

Pope Francis noted that sports are “a universal language that transcends borders, languages, races, nationalities, and religions; it has the ability to unite people, to foster dialogue and mutual acceptance; it encourages people to surpass themselves, instills a spirit of sacrifice, promotes loyalty in interpersonal relations; it invites people to acknowledge their own limits and the value of others.”

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.