Argentina's World Cup win has raised the question: was Pope Francis watching the game? Most likely, he didn't since he's said that 30 years ago he made a promise to Our Lady of Mount Carmel to not watch TV. But he's still maintained a relationship with soccer legends from his native Argentina: Lionel Messi and Diego Maradona.
In 2013, the Pope met with both the Italian and Argentinian national soccer teams. In the Clementine Hall of the Apostolic Palace he asked the players to remember their humanity, despite their fame.
POPE FRANCIS
People follow you, not just on the field, but off of it as well. This is a social responsibility. Let me explain: in the game, when you're on the field, you find beauty, gratitude, and camaraderie. If a game is missing this, it loses its power, even if there's a winner.
On that occasion, Messi along with Italian goalkeeper Luigi Buffon gave the Pope this small olive tree. He also received a jersey from the Argentinian side. In a press conference following the meeting, the team's captain said this about speaking with the Pope.
LIONEL MESSI
The meeting was short but it was very nice.
Two years later, Pope Francis met with the other “great” of Argentine soccer, Diego Maradona. He participated in the Pope's education initiative, Scholas Ocurrentes, and the two discussed child hunger among other topics.
DIEGO MARADONA
Players must come together and do something for those kids who cannot eat in so many parts of the world. We agreed on everything. So all I can say is that I am a fan of Pope Francis. I'm his biggest fan.
Although Pope Francis may root for his native Argentina on the inside, he doesn't lose sight of what he said at the start of his pontificate: that there are bigger things in life than soccer.
Jesus offers us something bigger than the World Cup. Something bigger than the World Cup!
RM
TR: JM
