Pope Francis' message for Rio Olympics: 'fight the
good fight'
(Vatican Radio) At the
conclusion of his Wednesday General Audience, Pope Francis delivered his
message for the upcoming Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, urging
Brazilians to work for a more just and safe country.
With the Olympic Games 2016
getting underway in Rio on Saturday, August 6th, Pope Francis told all those
involved to ‘fight the good fight’ and finish the race together.
He said “in a world thirsting
for peace, tolerance, and reconciliation”, the prize for all participants and
spectators of the Games consisted in something much more precious than a medal.
Their prize, he said, is “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.”
The Holy Father also
expressed his desire that all Brazilians, “who with their joy and
characteristic hospitality have organized the ‘Feast of Sport’, … that this
will be an opportunity to overcome difficult moments and commit themselves to
working as a team to build a more just and safe country, betting all on a
future full of hope and joy."
A Vatican Radio English
translation of Pope Francis’ message for the Olympics is below:
I would like to send an
especially warm greeting to the Brazilian people, in particular to the city of
Rio de Janeiro, which is hosting the athletes and passionate fans from all over
the world on the occasion of the Olympics. 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 (cf. 2 Tim 4,7-8), desiring 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. And for all Brazilians, who with their joy
and characteristic hospitality have organized the ‘Feast of Sport’, I hope that
this will be an opportunity to overcome difficult moments and commit themselves
to working as a team to build a more just and safe country, betting all on a
future full of hope and joy. May God bless you all!
(Devin Sean Watkins)
Không có nhận xét nào:
Đăng nhận xét