Pope Francis was greeted with applause when he welcomed the Spanish football club, Celta de Vigo, in a private audience to celebrate its 100th anniversary. Among those present was the President, Carlos Mouriño.
During the meeting, the Pope showed his admiration for the team's colors, which remind him of his home country.
POPE FRANCIS
Meeting a 'Galician' club is something that sparks so many memories that I lived as an Argentinean. If you have noticed, its colors are those of the Immaculate Virgin and also those of the Argentinean jersey—almost as if our Mother wanted to link the two shores of this great ocean that more than separating us, has united us so that we do not forget her.
The Pope also pointed out another element of the team's identity: the Cross of Santiago.
POPE FRANCIS
Both in the stadium and in life, your strengths— like the cross of Santiago that presides over you—are those small gestures that sometimes we do not give importance to: it is to win from humility, to work as a team without relying on one's own strength, understanding that victory belongs to all.
The team presented a commemorative plaque to Pope Francis, calling him “an example of goodness and righteousness.”
PA
TR: AT
