“May these Olympics be a great feast of friendship and sport!”. This is the Pope’s wish for the day after tomorrow, 9 February, when the XXIII Olympic Winter Games will kick off in the city of Pyeongchang in South Korea, with 92 participating countries. “The traditional Olympic truce acquires special importance this year”, Pope Francis noted: “The Delegations of the two Koreas will march together under a single flag and will compete as a single team”. “This fact – he commented – gives us hope in a world where conflicts must be resolved peacefully through dialogue and mutual respect, as sport teaches us to do”. “I address my greetings to the International Olympic Committee, to the male and female athletes who participate in the Games in Pyeongchang, to the authorities and to the people of the Korean Peninsula”, the Pope said: “I accompany all of you with my prayer, and I renew the commitment of the Holy See to supporting any useful initiative that promotes peace and the encounter of peoples”.