Image Source: AP
We all know by now that Pope Francis loves his soccer, and he’s always promoting world peace, but did you know he has an action plan to unite his two loves?
As reported in Fox News Latino, the Pope is actually planning a celebrity soccer match called "Inter-Religious Match for Peace" on September 1, at the Olympic Stadium in Rome, to promote a diplomatic resolution to the ongoing crisis in the Gaza Strip.
The friendly match will feature "all-star players" like F.C. Barcelona’s Lionel Messi and Italy's Roberto Baggio (who is known to be Buddhist) and France's Zinedine Zidane (who is reported to be Muslim) will also take part, reports Catholic News Agency. Football players of all religions have been invited, according to the Vatican Insider.
The event will be hosted by the Pupi Foundation, a Buenos Aires-based non-profit organization founded by Argentine soccer player Javier “Pupi” Zanetti, as well as the Pontifical Academy for Social Science.
“More than anything, the goal is to show the coexistence of different religions on the soccer field,” a spokesperson for the Pupi Foundation who asked not to be named told Fox News Latino. “It’s not about making money, we want it to make it accessible to everyone.”
He added that the funds raised in the event will go to an organization also supported by the Pope to better education standards across the globe, as well as the Pupi Foundation, which focuses on family values and children's rights.
Renowned former Argentine footballer Diego Maradona, 53, posted on his Facebook page that he was excited to be invited by the Pope to play for the good cause.
“It is an honor to be invited by Pope #Francis, to participate in the Interreligious Match for Peace, on September 1st, at the Olympic Stadium of Rome," the Facebook post said.