International Olympic Committee

20 Apr 2023 – In his statement, His Holiness Pope Francis said that it would be a “joy to welcome the whole world” to the Olympic Games Paris 2024.

He praised the power of these Olympic Games to unite the world, saying that they “may offer the opportunity, through sport, to bear witness to an authentic expression of fraternity, which the world greatly needs”.

The Pope also expressed his hopes that Paris 2024 would be “an occasion for profound and fruitful encounters between people from all walks of life, belonging to different peoples, cultures and religions”.

IOC President Thomas Bach said, “I welcome the comments of Pope Francis, which echo the declaration on sport and peace jointly issued by the Vatican and the IOC last September.”

The joint declaration was issued following a private audience given to the IOC President by His Holiness Pope Francis.

“With this statement,” President Bach added, “the Pope demonstrated once more that he is a great promoter of sport and peace, and a great supporter of the peace-building role of sport and particularly the Olympic Games.”

Last year’s declaration issued jointly by the Vatican and the IOC stated that: “The Olympic and Paralympic Games are a great symbol of unity … and encourage our world to seek … a genuine path to peace.”