Vatican City, Aug 3, 2016 / 08:30 am
Just two days before the Opening Ceremonies for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Pope Francis offered a message to those who will be competing in the international games.
"In a world thirsting for peace, tolerance, and reconciliation, I hope that the spirit of the Olympic Games inspires all – participants and spectators – to 'fight the good fight' and finish the race together," he said.
The Holy Father voiced hope that in competing this year, the Olympic athletes will desire "to obtain as a prize, not a medal, but something much more precious: the construction of a civilization in which solidarity reigns and is based upon the recognition that we are all members of the same human family, regardless of the differences of culture, skin color, or religion."
Pope Francis offered these words at the conclusion of his general audience in St. Peter's Square on Aug. 3