Sacriligeous! Is Pope Leo Actually A Secret Napoli Supporter, And Not AS Roma?

Advertisement

Last Updated:May 27, 2025, 21:08 IST

Pope Leo XIV met with SSC Napoli, wherever helium emphasized teamwork and the societal worth of football, cautioning against the commercialization of sports.

Pope Leo being presnted with a team-signed Napoli jersey (Credit: X)

Pope Leo XIV addressed speculation astir his allegiance to Rome during a backstage assemblage with recently crowned Italian champions, Napoli.

Roma is Napoli’s rival, and the assemblage was connected Tuesday.

Upon Leo’s entranceway into the Clementine Hall of the Apostolic Palace, wherever Napoli’s players and unit were gathered, determination was a little intermission earlier the guests began to applaud.

“Maybe they didn’t privation to applaud due to the fact that the media claims I’m a Romanista," Leo remarked, referring to Roma fans. “Not everything you work successful the property is true."

Pope Francis, Leo’s predecessor, was from Argentina and a devoted protagonist of the Buenos Aires shot club, San Lorenzo.

Napoli secured its 4th Serie A rubric with a 2-0 triumph implicit Cagliari connected Friday, with goals from Scott McTominay and Romelu Lukaku.

Aurelio De Laurentiis, Napoli’s president and movie producer, presented Leo with a Napoli No. 10 shirt, bearing the pope’s sanction and the signatures of each the club’s players. This fig was famously worn by the precocious Diego Maradona erstwhile helium played for Napoli.

“You’re a No. 10," De Laurentiis said, referring to the fig typically worn by a team’s astir talented forward.

When De Laurentiis introduced Napoli manager Antonio Conte, the pope interrupted, saying, “I cognize him from the TV screen; I’ve seen him galore times."

Conte has besides coached Italy’s nationalist team, Juventus, Chelsea, and Inter Milan.

“He’s profoundly Catholic," De Laurentiis said of Conte. “He’s idiosyncratic who believes successful God precise devoutly and prays often."

Leo highlighted the “social aspect" of Napoli’s achievement.

“Soccer is highly fashionable successful Italy and astir the full world," Leo said. “This achievement’s societal worth surpasses the technical-sports facet arsenic it exemplifies a squad that works together, wherever idiosyncratic talents are sacrificed for the communal good."

The pope besides cautioned that “when sports go a business, they hazard losing the values that marque them acquisition and can, successful fact, go un-educational."

“I privation to entreaty to parents and sports officials: you request to cautiously show the motivation prime of the sports acquisition astatine the competitory level, arsenic it importantly impacts the idiosyncratic maturation of young people," Leo said.

The gathering with Napoli took spot little than 2 weeks aft Leo had a backstage assemblage with top-ranked tennis subordinate Jannik Sinner.

News18 Sports brings you the latest updates, unrecorded commentary, and highlights from cricket, football, tennis, badmintion, wwe and more. Catch breaking news, unrecorded scores, and in-depth coverage. Also Download the News18 App to enactment updated!

Location :

First Published:

News sports » football Sacriligeous! Is Pope Leo Actually A Secret Napoli Supporter, And Not AS Roma?