said on Sunday said he hoped the 2024 Paris Olympics would be an occasion for truce in the world’s conflicts, urging athletes to be messengers of peace and models for young people.
The games start on July 26 with an opening ceremony on the River Seine featuring about 10,500 athletes and over 100 heads of state and government. During his weekly address to the crowds in St Peter’s Square, the Pope said he hoped that “according to the ancient tradition, the Olympics will be an opportunity to establish a truce in wars, by demonstrating a sincere desire for peace.”
He mentioned the conflicts in Ukraine, Gaza, Myanmar and other countries, saying “Let us not forget war is a defeat.” Last month, the final statement of a Group of Seven leaders’ meeting held in Italy included a unanimous call for a truce in global conflicts during the Olympic Games. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.