Though he has vowed to remain neutral, Pope Francis, a devoted fan of Argentina’s soccer team, received and waved an Argentina jersey during the general audience in Saint Peter’s Square on Wednesday.
Pope Francis is from Argentina, but told a Spanish newspaper that, “The Brazilians asked for neutrality. I’ll keep my word because Brazil and Argentina are always opponents.”
Argentina beat Nigeria on Wednesday 3-2 after two Lionel Messi goals. Argentina won all three games in group play and advanced to face Switzerland in the first round of the knockout stage on Tuesday.