Pope Francis calls for an Olympic truce: “Let athletes be messengers of peace”

VATICAN CITY.— This Sunday, the Pope Francisco He called for the Paris Olympicswhich will begin next Friday, are “according to ancient tradition, the opportunity to establish a truce in wars“that ravage the world and that athletes “are Messengers of peace“.

“Sport has a great social force, capable of peacefully uniting people of different cultures,” said the Pope at the end of the Sunday prayer of the Angelusafter recalling that “this week the Paris Games will begin, which will be followed by the Paralympic Games“.

The Holy Father, who has called for an Olympic truce on several occasions in recent months, expressed to the thousands of faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican his “desire that this event can be a sign of the inclusive world we want to build.”

“And may athletes, with their sporting testimony, be messengers of peace and valid role models for young people,” he added.

It was then that the pontiff asked that, therefore, “the Olympics, according to ancient tradition, be an opportunity to establish a truce in the war, showing a sincere desire for peace.”

“Let us not forget that war is a defeat,” the pontiff added before asking the faithful: “Let us pray for peace, let us not forget the martyred Ukraine, Palestine, Israel, Myanmar, and so many other places at war.”

The Bishop of Rome made a similar appeal last Friday, in his message on the occasion of the Olympic Games that he sent to the Metropolitan Archbishop of Paris, Monsignor Laurent Ulrichto whom he gave his blessing and wished “a happy progress” of the event.

In the face of the current “turbulent period in which peace is threatened,” Pope Francis fervently hoped that “all will be ready to respect this truce” and asked that “God enlighten the consciences of those who hold power over the grave responsibilities that fall upon them, that he grant success to the peacemakers in their efforts and that he bless them.”

Last June, the G7 leadersthe group of seven most industrialized democracies in the world, They supported the Olympic Truce and called on the rest to join in, in the declaration of the summit they held in Puglia, Italy.

“We look forward to the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris and urge all countries to respect the Olympic Truce individually and collectively,” said the conclusions of the document, signed by Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States.

The Olympic truce would mean silencing weapons during the two weeks that the Olympics last, but never in recent decades has it coincided with two wars of enormous global impact, such as those in Ukraine and the Gaza Strip.

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