Vatican downplays rivalry between popes in World Cup final
On the eve of the Argentina-Germany match, the Vatican on Friday downplayed rumors of rivalry between Pope Francis, an Argentinian, and his predecessor Benedict XVI, a German. Responding to intense media speculation about the possibility of the two watching the game together, which it called "funny," the Vatican asked fans to take a "pause for peace" before the match.
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - On the eve of the clash between Argentina and Germany in the World Cup final, the Vatican on Friday downplayed rumors of rivalry between Pope Francis, an Argentinian, and his predecessor Benedict XVI, a German.
In response to intense media speculation about the possibility of the two watching the match together, which it called "funny," the Vatican asked fans to take a "pause for peace" before Sunday's final to remember the victims of war and poverty.
A senior Vatican official who works with Francis and Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI told Reuters that no decision has yet been made on how the two will spend Sunday night.
Benedict XVI, the source noted, doesn't like football, but added: "We'll see. The current situation is unprecedented."
The Vatican spokesman said he did not believe Benedict XVI, currently 87 years old and living his retirement in seclusion in a former convent in the Vatican, would attend the game because of the time – in Rome the match starts at 9 pm.
Pope Francis, on the other hand, is a football fan. While still Archbishop of Buenos Aires, he was an enthusiastic supporter of the San Lorenzo club, and was an honorary member of the team nicknamed Santos de Boedo, due to the neighborhood where it was founded in 1908 by a group of young people that included a priest.
The Vatican's Council for Culture, which deals with sports, called the pre-game speculation "funny and amusing," but stated that it will call for a moment of silence on Sunday to "think about important things" such as peace.
"Let's take a pause for peace," said Monsignor Melcher Sánchez de Tosca y Alameda, undersecretary of the council, announcing the hashtag #PAUSEforPeace on social media.
Sánchez was referring to the ancient Greek tradition of halting all conflicts during the Olympic Games.
"Why not stop the World Cup? Why not a pause, a moment of silence, a truce for peace?" he asked.
A spokesperson for the council said it is up to each fan, each national team, and each organization, including FIFA, whether, how, and when they want to observe a moment of "silence or reflection or pause" to remember those who are suffering.