In anticipation of the forthcoming Olympic Games in Paris, Archbishop Laurent Ulrich of Paris and Bishop Emmanuel Gobilliard of Digne, special representative of the Holy See for the 2024 Paris Olympics, hosted a special mass in the presence of over 100 diplomatic delegations, including one from the International Olympic Committee, led by IOC President Thomas Bach and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo.

Archbishop Ulrich opened his speech with: "Your excellency, as the Olympic Games are about to take place in your city, I ask the Lord to shower with his gifts all those who will participate in one way or another - whether athletes or spectators - and also to support and bless those who will welcome them, especially the faithful of Paris and beyond."

He continued: "I know that Christian communities are preparing to open wide the doors of their churches, schools and homes. Above all, let them open the doors of their hearts, bearing witness to the Christ who dwells within them and who communicates his joy to them, through the gratuitousness and generosity of their hospitality to all.

"I greatly appreciate the fact that you have not forgotten the most vulnerable, especially those in very precarious situations, and that access to the celebration has been made easier for them. On a broader level, I hope that the organisation of these Games will provide the people of France with a wonderful opportunity for fraternal harmony, enabling them to transcend differences and oppositions and strengthen the unity of the Nation."

Archbishop Ulrich then said: "Sport is a universal language that transcends frontiers, languages, races, nationalities and religions; it can unite people."

He then expressed his hope for the Olympic Games: "If they remain truly 'games', can therefore be an exceptional meeting place between peoples, even the most hostile."

The Archbishop underscored his aspirations for peace through these Games: "The Olympic Games are, by their very nature, about peace, not war." He invoked a historical precedent for harmony: "It was in this spirit that antiquity wisely instituted a truce during the Games."

In a call for global unity and conflict resolution, he expressed: "In these troubled times, when world peace is under serious threat, it is my fervent wish that everyone will take this truce to heart."

Concluding his message with blessings entrusted to Paris's patron saints and Our Lady of the Assumption, he imparted: "Entrusting to Saint Geneviève and Saint Denis...the happy outcome of these Games."