Pope Leo the 14th appealed to the world this Friday (6) to respect the Olympic truce, “an instrument of hope”, just hours before the official opening ceremony of the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympic Games, which run until February 22.
“I sincerely encourage all nations (…) to rediscover and respect this instrument of hope that is the Olympic truce, a symbol and a prophecy of a reconciled world,” the pontiff wrote in a message.
In November, UN member states adopted a resolution calling for the suspension of international conflicts during the Olympic Games, an ideal that has regularly been ignored throughout history.
The resolution is inspired by an ancient Greek tradition and, since 1993, the Olympic truce has been presented every two years at the UN by the host country of the next edition of the Olympic Games.
Pope Leo 14 recalled that “in Ancient Greece, it was an agreement that aimed to suspend hostilities before, during and after the Olympic Games, so that athletes and spectators could travel freely and competitions could take place without interruptions.”
The Catholic religious leader also warned of the danger of “business becoming the main or exclusive motivation” of sport.
He also rejected the idea that “major sporting events” should serve “political or ideological interests”.
“When sport submits to the logic of power, propaganda or national supremacy, its universal vocation is betrayed,” he stated.
