Olympic Audience for Pope Francis-On the Scene

(ATR) Pope Francis salutes power of sport but warns against excess as he meets leaders of the Olympics at the Vatican.

Close to 300 delegates from the European Olympic Committees general assembly made a soggy trek for a papal audience Saturday in Rome. The group included IOC president Thomas Bach, his predecessor Jacques Rogge and 25+ other members of the IOC from Europe and abroad.

"I wish to encourage institutions and organizations such as yours, which propose sports – especially to the younger generation – as a way of training for peace, mutual sharing and harmonious coexistence of peoples," Francis said in his remarks translated from Italian.

The Pope also warned of negative influences on sport.

"When sport is viewed solely in economic terms or as the pursuit of victory at all cost, we run the risk of reducing athletes to mere product from which to profit. Athletes themselves enter into a system sweeps them away; they can lose the true meaning of their activity, that joy of play which attracted them as young people and which drove them to make so many sacrifices to become champions," he said.

Bach presented the Olympic Order to Francis in a brief ceremony that deviated from traditional presentation of the gold plated garland. Instead of placing the award over the neck of the Pope, Bach handed it to him it in its case.

In his short speech to the Pope, Bach pledged to put sport at the service of young people.

"Sport is one of the best tools for the creation of social inclusion, as it can create a sense of community and teach us how any kind of discrimination, be it by color, creed, politicalopinion or gender, is wrong and can only damage society," said Bach who delivered his remarks in Spanish to the Argentine Pope.

"Your Holiness, Your extraordinary role in the pursuit of world peace is recognized worldwide. This is a dream the Olympic Movement also cherishes most strongly. We wish that the Roman Catholic Church and all the religions of the world may join the Olympic Movement in its desire to create a better tomorrow for the young people of our planet," said the IOC president in presenting the Olympic Order.

The meeting Saturdaywas actually the second between Bach and the Pope, coming a day after a private audience between the two, Bach a Bavarian Catholic.

The audience was held in a magnificent hall, its arched ceiling covered with religious frescoes dating hundreds of years. To get there delegates, including most of the IOC members, had to cover a couple of blocks from buses to the arcade of St. Peter’s Square where there was partial relief from the cold rain drenching the city. Once inside the Vatican more than six flights of stairs put some aging knees to the test on the way to see Pope Francis.

The 30 minute audience ended with members of the executive committee of the European Olympic Committees getting the chance to personally greet Pope Francis. EOC meet and greets at the Vatican have taken place regularly through the years, at least once with each of the previous three Popes. This time newly reelected EOC president Patrick Hickey led the delegation and also delivered brief remarks to the Pope.

Written and reported in Rome by Ed Hula.

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