Pope appeals for Olympic Truce for war-torn nations

By Linda Bordoni

Pope Francis on Sunday expressed his hope that the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games provide the opportunity for warring nations to respect an ancient Greek tradition and establish a truce for the duration of the Games.

“According to ancient tradition, may the Olympics be an opportunity to establish a truce in wars, demonstrating a sincere will for peace,” he said.

Pope Francis was speaking after the recitation of the Angelus prayer in St Peter’s Square.

He recalled that this week the Paris Olympic Games will begin, followed by the Paralympic Games, and noted that “Sport also has a great social power, capable of peacefully uniting people from different cultures.”

“I hope that this event can be a sign of the inclusive world we want to build and that the athletes, with their sporting testimony, may be messengers of peace and valuable models for the young,” he said.

The tradition of the Olympic truce

The tradition of the “Olympic Truce” originally aimed to allow safe participation in the ancient Olympic Games for all athletes and spectators from Greek city-states who were constantly engaged in conflict with each other.

In the 1990s the International Olympic Committee decided to revive the concept of the Olympic Truce with a view to protecting the interests of the athletes and sport in general and to harness the power of sport to promote peace, dialogue and reconciliation more broadly.

Prayers for peace

As always, the Pope did not neglect to ask for prayers for peace.

“Let us not forget the martyred Ukraine, Palestine, Israel, Myanmar, and many other countries at war. Let us not forget, let us not forget, war is a defeat!” he appealed.