Pope Francis received the Black Belt 10 DAN

The World Taekwondo Federation’s President Chungwon Choue and the President of the Italian Taekwondo Federation Angelo Cito was received by Pope Francis at the general audience on 10 May. On this occasion, the Pope was presented with the black belt 10 Dan, the most important prize of the Olympic discipline, and an honor that is given to very few people in the world.

The Holy Father thanked the leaders and expressed his appreciation for the WTF’s humanitarian work. President Choue told the Pope about the project of the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation (THF), which includes among other activities a team formed (with some of the best athletes from all over the world) who serves as a messenger to bring, through the sport, the Foundation's solidarity into refugee camps around the world. Already in October 2016, at the World Sports and Faith Conference held in the Vatican, the THF team performed at the opening ceremony. Smiling, the Pope thanked them for their affection and concluded asking them: “please, pray for me.”