Opening Mass of the Olympic truce in Paris

With the opening ceremony of Olympic Games is just seven days away, a Mass for the Olympic Truce took place in the Madeleine church in Paris. Pope Francis sent a message to the ceremony, and expressed hope that the Olympic Games would offer an opportunity for national unity in France.

Francis repeated calls for a worldwide truce in conflicts during the Games, which run from July 26 to August 11, an event that "by nature brings peace and not war". And he said that "In this troubled period in which world peace is seriously threatened, he fervently hope that everyone is committed to respecting this truce in the hope of finding a resolution to conflicts and a return to harmony".