International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach attended the Mass for Peace at Madeleine Church in Paris on July 19, seven days before the start of the Summer Olympics on July 26.
The Eucharist ceremony marked the beginning of the Olympic Truce, a tradition originating from ancient Greece and reintroduced in the 1990s.
The truce calls for a cessation of conflict worldwide during the Olympic Games and seven days before and after. According to the IOC, the truce was initially created by three Greek kings: Iphitos of Elis, Cleosthenes of Pisa, and Lycurgus of Sparta, to ensure the safe passage of athletes to the Games.
Today, the Olympic Truce promotes peace and communication between nations.
“I appreciate this engagement for peace and the many actions throughout the Olympic Games Paris 2024,” Bach said in a post on X from the IOC. “Looking forward to the inter-religious service during the Games.”
Per Vatican News, in a letter written to Archbishop Ulrich of Paris, Pope Francis recognized how the Olympics “has the capacity to unite people, to promote dialogue and mutual acceptance; it stimulates self-overcoming, fosters a spirit of sacrifice, and encourages loyalty in interpersonal relationships; it invites the recognition of one’s own limits and the value of others.”
Pope Francis called for the global community to honor the Olympic Truce and cease all conflicts.
“In this troubled period where world peace is gravely threatened, I earnestly wish that everyone will have at heart to respect this truce in the hope of resolving conflicts and returning to concord,” he said.
“I therefore wish that the Paris Olympics will be an occasion for all who come from all countries of the world to discover and appreciate each other, to dismantle prejudices, to foster esteem where there is contempt and mistrust, and friendship where there is hatred,” he added.