The Vatican has said that Pope Francis is unlikely to meet with his predecessor, Benedict XVI, to watch the World Cup match on Sunday which features both of their home countries. Federico Lombardi, Vatican spokesman, said Thursday that the time of the match is too late for Pope Francis' daily routine, admitting with a smile that Benedict is not known as a sports fan anyway. However, he did not rule out the possibility, saying that "we'll see in the coming days."
Francis, born in Argentina and famous for being an avid fan of football, had already said he would not favor any team in the World Cup and not pray for any team. Benedict, born in Germany, is best known for his intellectual and philosophical interests. "They would want the best team to win, without bias," Lombardi said. The idea of a double Pope meeting emerged on social media last night when Argentina passed through to the final against Germany and people realized the holy coincidence!
"The match will take place at 21H (19 GMT) and Pope Francis is usually in bed by 22H, so he might not want to see the match to the end, but I have no information three days from event," said Lombardi. Benedict XVI, a Pope known as a theologian, intellectual and pianist, was never an athlete nor much of a sportsfan. "We can categorically exclude that he wants to watch the game," a Vatican source, who prefers to remain anonymous, told La Nacion. We still have faith.
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