Pope Francis encourages refugee Olympians to 'serve as a cry for peace and solidarity'

Pope Francis
(Image credit: Andreas Solaro/Getty Images)

In a letter released by the Vatican Saturday morning, Pope Francis offered words of encouragement to the 10 athletes who will compete at the Rio Olympics as the first team of refugees.

Signed, "In brotherhood, Francis," the letter offered the pope's prayers and his hope that "your courage and strength find expression through the Olympic Games and serve as a cry for peace and solidarity."

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Bonnie Kristian

Bonnie Kristian was a deputy editor and acting editor-in-chief of TheWeek.com. She is a columnist at Christianity Today and author of Untrustworthy: The Knowledge Crisis Breaking Our Brains, Polluting Our Politics, and Corrupting Christian Community (forthcoming 2022) and A Flexible Faith: Rethinking What It Means to Follow Jesus Today (2018). Her writing has also appeared at Time Magazine, CNN, USA Today, Newsweek, the Los Angeles Times, and The American Conservative, among other outlets.