The head of the Catholic Church greeted
the two squads ahead of Wednesday's
match and was keen to remind them,
under the public eye, of their
responsibilities Aug 13, 2013 2:24:00 PM Pope Francis greeted Argentina and Italy's squads ahead of the
footballing giants'
friendly in Rome on
Wednesday. Albiceleste skipper
Lionel Messi and Azzurri captain Gianluigi Buffon gave the
head of the Catholic Church an olive tree
on Tuesday on behalf of the players
ahead of the specially arranged match at
the Stadio Olimpico. The Pope, who is an Argentine but has
Italian heritage and resides in Vatican City
following his inauguration earlier in
2013, advised the two teams to
remember their responsibility as idols
and put down the notion of football as a business. "I thank you all for being here. Luckily it’s
a friendly, otherwise I wouldn’t know
who to support!" he told the squads and
gathered press. "You are popular and the people follow
you, but that is a responsibility on your
shoulders. Never forget the beauty of
camaraderie, from when you were
amateurs. Before you are champions, you
must be men and bring humanity to everyone you meet. "To the directors I say that football is
sport and not a business. That is the way
to discourage violence. "I pray for you, but I hope you pray for
me too so that I can play an honest and
generous game of my own." Messi, who has been gearing up for the
new Liga season with Barcelona in the
past month or so, spoke after the
meeting and expressed his delight at
meeting the religious figurehead. "It was a special day, I am proud that I
was here to meet the Pope, also because
he is Argentine," he told reporters. "I did not talk a lot with Pope Francis but
it was an unforgettable moment. As
footballers, we must always give good
example in the field - only with respect
for opponents can you become men and
football players."

Wonderful Pope