Pope Francis on 21 July expressed his hope that the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games provide the opportunity for warring nations to respect an ancient Greek tradition and establish a truce for the duration of the Games. “According to ancient tradition, may the Olympics be an opportunity to establish a truce in wars, demonstrating a sincere will for peace,” he said.
Pope Francis was speaking after the recitation of the Angelus prayer in St Peter’s Square. He recalled that this week the Paris Olympic Games will begin, followed by the Paralympic Games, and noted that “Sport also has a great social power, capable of peacefully uniting people from different cultures.” “I hope that this event can be a sign of the inclusive world we want to build and that the athletes, with their sporting testimony, may be messengers of peace and valuable models for the young,” he said.
The tradition of the “Olympic Truce” originally aimed to allow safe participation in the ancient Olympic Games for all athletes and spectators from Greek city-states who were constantly engaged in conflict with each other. In the 1990s the International Olympic Committee decided to revive the concept of the Olympic Truce with a view to protecting the interests of the athletes and sport in general and to harness the power of sport to promote peace, dialogue and reconciliation more broadly.

Reflecting on the theme of the National Eucharistic Congress, from the Gospel of John “Remain in Me,” Pope Francis’ special envoy to the event highlighted Jesus’ mission as a gift from the Father. “Jesus is sent to be given by the Father to others,” Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle said during his homily, and he explained that the Eucharist encapsulates this gift, as Jesus offers His body and blood for the life of the world. The Cardinal, who is the Pro-Prefect for the Section of Evangelization of the Dicastery for Evangelization, celebrated Holy Mass at the National Eucharistic Con-gress in Indianapolis, Indiana, that concluded on Sunday, July 21.
He challenged the faithful to see their own lives and the world through the lens of gift rather than mere achievement.” Do we still look at ourselves, persons, objects, work, society, events, and creation within the horizon of gift?” he asked, warning that losing this perspective leads to self-absorption and a lack of missionary zeal.
Cardinal Tagle addressed the difficult reality of disciples who abandoned Jesus, as narrated in the Gospel of John, chapter 6, and he invited introspection on whether the Church’s actions some-times contribute to this departure.
“Is it possible that we disciples contribute to the departure of others from Jesus?” he asked, urging a deeper engagement with the Eucharist and its transformative power. He also highlighted the need to welcome those who feel marginalized, such as the poor, migrants, and the elderly, ensuring they feel part of the Church community. Cardinal Tagle said that those who choose to stay with Jesus must also be willing to be sent by Him. “We should not keep Jesus to ourselves. That is not discipleship. That is selfishness,” he stated, and he called on the faithful to share the love and compassion they have received from Jesus with the weary, the lost, and the divided.

As the war in Gaza threatens to further expand igniting the entire Middle East, with the Houthi rebels in Yemen and the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) engaging in missile-strike ex-changes, the Chaldean bishops of Iraq have joined in insisting on a two-State solution in which Israel and Palestine can both live “in peace and security.” In a statement issued at the closing of their recent annual Synod presided by Patriarch Cardinal Raphael Sako in Baghdad, the Iraqi bishops expressed deep concern for the many conflicts raging in the Middle East, “especially in the Holy Land.” While condemning “all forms of violence”, they urged the international community to always uphold peace and actively engage to put an immediate end to this devastating war.
According to the Chaldean bishops, the only viable solution to the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict is to create two neighbouring states that live “in peace, security, stability and mutual trust.” This stance is strongly advocated, amongst many others, by the Holy See, but is firmly opposed by the current Israeli government, especially after Hamas’ terrorist attacks of 7th October.

Italian authorities are investigating a potential assassination plot against Pope Francis following the discovery of a firearm in an abandoned suitcase at Trieste train station, just days before his scheduled visit on July 7. The incident unfolded when staff at a bar within the station noticed the suspicious luggage and alerted the authorities. Inside the suitcase, police found a Czech-made semi-automatic pistol, a magazine loaded with 14 bullets, and brand-new clothing of Turkish origin. The rapid response from Italian security agencies highlighted the seriousness of the threat. Despite the alarming discovery, Pope Francis adhered to his itinerary, attending the 50th Catholic Social Week in Trieste. He traveled through the city in an open electric vehicle and celebrated an outdoor mass in the main square, warmly greeted by the residents of Trieste. Monsignor Enrico Trevisi, the Bishop of Trieste, confirmed that the Pope was briefed on the situation but chose to proceed with his visit. “The people of Trieste welcomed the Pope with immense joy, and we didn’t want anything to mar this occasion,” Bishop Trevisi told the local newspaper Il Piccolo. Vatican spokesperson Matteo Bruni stated that the matter is under the jurisdiction of Italian authorities. He reassured the public that, despite the security scare, Pope Francis’s visit went ahead without any further issues, focusing on the promotion of Catholic social teachings.

The motto of the modern Olympic Games, “Faster, Higher, Stronger,” was coined by French Dominican friar Louis Henri Didon, who became friends with the founder of the modern Olympic Games, Baron Pierre de Coubertin, five years before the 1896 Athens Games. The motto, originally formulated in Latin as “Citius, Altius, Fortius,” was used before the modern Olympic movement at St. Albert the Great School in Paris, where the Dominican friar was the principal.
Born in 1840, Didon entered the Rondeau Minor Seminary in Grenoble, France, begi-nning at the age of nine, and during his youth, he stood out for his ability as an athlete. After visiting the Carthusian monastery in Grenoble, he decided to follow a religious vocation and took the habit of the Order of Preachers (Dominicans) at the age of 16. Six years later, after a period of formation in Rome, he was ordained a priest at age 22.
Didon soon gained fame as a preacher. During the brief Franco-Prussian War, which broke out in July 1870, he was a military chaplain and for a time was held as a prisoner. When he fell ill, he ended up as a refugee in Geneva, Switzerland. From there he was sent to Marseille, where he resumed his sometimes controversial preaching activity, which led to his being sent to Corsica in 1880.
A decade later he was appointed principal of St. Albert the Great School in Paris where he established sports as part of the school’s educational program and promoted sports competition. This decision was the result of belief in the value of sports and the contact he had had with Pierre de Coubertin since 1891. In the first race they organized, the Dominican decided to embroider on the school flag the famous motto, which would become an Olympic motto in 1894, during the first Olympic Congress held in Paris in 1894.