Pope Francis calls for Olympic truce for countries at war

Pope Francis expressed his hope on Sunday that the Paris Olympic and the Paralympics offer countries at war the opportunity to respect an ancient Greek tradition and agree to a ceasefire for the duration of the Games.

“May the Olympic Games, in accordance with ancient tradition, be an opportunity to establish a truce in wars and demonstrate a sincere will for peace,” Francis said during his Angelus prayer in St. Peter’s Square.

The Pope stressed that sport also “has great social power and is able to peacefully unite people of different cultures”.

The opening ceremony of the 33rd Olympic Games will take place on July 26 in Paris with the participation of 205 athlete delegations who will parade on the Seine on over 80 boats.

“I hope that this event can be a sign of the inclusive world we want to build and that the athletes, with their sporting witness, can be ambassadors of peace and valuable role models for young people,” Francis added.

As always, the Pope asked the faithful to pray for peace and recalled the ongoing conflicts around the world.

“Let us not forget the martyrs in Ukraine, Palestine, Israel, Myanmar and many other countries at war. Let us not forget that war is defeat,” he concluded.