Dorota Abdelmoula-Viet – Vatican
The telegram, addressed to the host of the Archdiocese of Milan, Archbishop Mario Delpini, was signed on behalf of Leo XIV by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin. In it, he conveyed the papal greeting and his hope that „this important event will awaken feelings of friendship and brotherhood, strengthening awareness of the value of sport in the service of the integral development of the human person”.
Papal prayer for the games and their participants
„The Holy Father assures of his prayer that these days of healthy competition will contribute to building bridges between cultures and nations, promoting hospitality, solidarity, and peace” – reads the telegram, which was published by the Holy See Press Office. It also assures of the apostolic blessing that Leo XIV grants for the duration of the games.
Olympic Cross in Milan
During the XXV Winter Olympic Games Milan-Cortina, the Basilica of St. Babila will be the so-called athletes’ church, where prayers and meetings accompanying the sporting events will take place.
The Olympic and Paralympic Cross – as its full name reads – has accompanied athletes since the XXX Summer Olympic Games, which took place in London in 2012. It consists of 15 wooden fragments from various parts of the world. It was made by the English artist Jon Cornwall. So far, it has accompanied athletes during, among others, the Summer Olympics in London (2012), Rio de Janeiro (2016), Paris (2024), as well as during the 2014 World Cup and World Youth Day in Lisbon.
