The Milan Cortina Winter Olympic Games are underway and will last until February 22. A powerful yet inconsistent tradition with Catholic roots has existed in the modern Olympic games—a Mass that precedes the Opening Ceremony.
The Olympic Mass, or Holy Mass for the Opening of the Olympic Truce, came about in 1896. The Truce refers to a cessation of hostilities during the ancient games in Greece. According to the United Nations, “the Olympic Truce has become an expression of mankind’s desire to build a world based on the rules of fair competition, peace, humanity and reconciliation.”
Sarah C. Murray, Associate Professor of Classics at the University of Toronto, wrote in “The Role of Religion in Greek Sport” in 2013, “The majority of Greek athletic competitions took place in the context of religious festivals, and the religious tone of the major games cannot be denied.”
The ancient Olympic games in Greece began c. 776 BC and lasted until 393 AD. Pierre de Coubertin, known as the father of the modern Olympic Games, was aware of the religious roots and incorporated them into the games we know today. He was a devout Catholic and started the Olympic Mass tradition. It was Fr. Henri Didon who coined the Olympic motto Citius, Altius, Fortis (“Faster, higher, stronger”), and who presided at the 1896 Mass in Athens.
Though a Mass has not been formally celebrated to open every game since, many have had some Catholic imprint.
Dries Vanysacker, professor at the Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies at KU Leuven, wrote in a 2020 article about the 1920 Antwerp games, “the cardinal’s [Cardinal Désiré-Joseph Mercier] name appears among those of the honorary members of the Belgian Committee for the Games of the VII Olympiad.”
According to a 2024 Vatican News article, a call was put out for an Olympic Mass for the 1924 Paris Games that sparked controversy. Eventually, an interreligious ceremony was held at Notre-Dame Cathedral.
The Catholic Northwest Progress (Seattle, WA), reported on April 9, 1948, that London Catholics would provide hospitality to Olympic athletes, and a special Mass presided by the Archbishop was held in Westminster Cathedral.
For the first time, in 1956, a pontifical message signed by Pope Pius XII was sent for the Olympic Mass in Melbourne. In 1960, the Olympic Mass was held in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican by Pope John XXIII, and a papal blessing was given for Olympic athletes a few days later.
At the 1992 Barcelona games, Agostino Bono of the Catholic News Service reported that for the first time religious services were being allowed in the Olympic Village. He wrote, “the Abraham Center showed that the world’s major religions can live together under the same roof while providing different services. It also was a chance to show that sports and prayer go together.”
During the 1996 Atlanta Games, the Georgia Bulletin reported, “Hundreds of volunteers assisted with the influx of visitors at the Shrine [of the Immaculate Conception] at the Georgia Tech Catholic Center, where Olympic athletes attended Mass.”
On the occasion of the then-upcoming 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Torino, Zenit News reported that Pope Benedict XVI blessed the Olympic flame on its way to Turin.
On July 28, 2012, Archbishop Vincent Nichols held Mass at Westminster Cathedral in celebration of the Olympic Games held in London.
In 2018, a delegate from the Holy See was invited by the International Olympic Committee to Pyeongchang to be a part of the Winter Olympic Games in South Korea, a first. The invitation to attend IOC meetings was extended to the Undersecretary of the Pontifical Council for Culture, Monsignor Melchor Sànchez de Toca.
On July 19, 2024, a Mass presided by Archbishop Laurent Ulrich was held in the Church of La Madeleine before the Paris Games began. Unfortunately, only a week later, there was backlash and condemnation of a portrayal of the Last Supper at the Opening Ceremony.
Recently, on January 29, 2026, a welcoming Mass for the Milan Cortina Winter Olympic Games was celebrated by Archbishop Mario Delpini. He also read a message from Pope Leo XIV.
The desire to build a world based on the rules of fair competition, peace, humanity, and reconciliation is noble. Sport is a perfect venue and opportunity to strive for them. However, Olympic history reminds us that humanity has a way to go.
Just days before the opening of the 1968 Summer Olympic Games in Mexico City, the Tlatelolco Massacre took place, when police officers and military troops shot into a crowd of unarmed students, killing many. The following Summer Olympics in Munich, West Germany saw the massacre of eleven members of the Israeli team. Five Olympic Games were cancelled due to the two world wars. Many countries have boycotted games for political reasons. Plans for one was interrupted for reasons beyond our control. The 1908 Olympic Games were moved from Rome to London due to the 1906 eruption of Mount Vesuvius.
It seems pretty trivial that the Olympic Mass, or Holy Mass for the Opening of the Olympic Truce, has not been standardized. Every minute of every day, somewhere in the world the Mass is being celebrated, and the Eucharist received. Prayers are being made for fair competition, peace, humanity, reconciliation, and so much more.
