In a personal message addressed to each of the 10 members of the new Refugee Olympic Team, Pope Francis wished them success in their events and thanked them for the witness they are giving the world.
Naming each of the team's athletes from South Sudan, Syria, Congo and Ethiopia, Pope Francis said he had read some of the interviews with team members "so that I could get closer to your lives and your aspirations."
"I extend my greetings and wish you success at the Olympic Games in Rio -- that your courage and strength find expression through the Olympic Games and serve as a cry for peace and solidarity," he said in the message, signed in late July.
