Pope Francis wrote during the week that sport is “a universal language that transcends borders, languages, races, nationalities, and religions; it has the ability to unite people, to foster dialogue and mutual acceptance…it invites people to acknowledge their own limits and the value of others.”

Pope Francis has expressed his fervent desire that the upcoming Olympic Games would foster world peace, which he said is “seriously threatened,” and follow the tradition of the ancient world of establishing a truce during the competition.

“The Olympic Games are, by their very nature, about peace, not war,” he pointed out, noting that “the five intertwined rings represent the spirit of fraternity that should characterize the Olympic event and sporting competition in general.”