VATICAN CITY, July 21. /TASS/. Pope Francis has called for an Olympic truce again during his Weekly Sunday Angelus Address.

"This week, the Olympic Games will begin in Paris, and they will be followed by the Paralympic Games. Sport also has a great social power, and it can peacefully unite people from different cultures. I hope that this event may be a beacon of the inclusive world we want to build and that athletes, with their sporting testimony, may be messengers of peace and authentic models for young people. In particular, as is the custom of this ancient tradition, may the Olympic Games be an occasion to call for a cease-fire in wars, demonstrating a sincere desire for peace," he said.

"War is a defeat," he stressed.

The pontiff wrote about an Olympic truce in all the current conflicts in his letter to the Paris eparchy.

The Olympic Games will be held in Paris from July 26 through August 11.