The Pope Was A Sunderland Fan

Pope Francis who has sadly died at the age of 88 will be remembered not only as the head of the Catholic Church, a man who dedicated his life to helping those who have been disenfranchised and marginised in society, but also as an avid football fan and potential 'Sunderland fan'.

Pope Francis holding a Sunderland shirt in October 2013 / BBC

The footballing world is in mourning today with Serie A matches being postponed to pay respects to the late Pontiff. Pope Francis's love of football was not hidden as he was seen on many occasions meeting with football players and managers and holding up football shirts. It is believed he was a season ticket holder of Argentinian team San Lorenzo, very fittingly their nickname is 'The Saints'.

Pope Francis is especially important for Sunderland fans because shortly after becoming Pope in 2013 Father Marc Lyden-Smith who is Sunderland's club chaplain,presented to the Pope with a customised Sunderland shirt in the hope if would help Sunderland win their upcoming derby against Newcastle United.

The Popes holding of the Sunderland shirt may have been a factor in Sunderland beating Newcastle 2-1 in the derby. Not only did Sunderland go on to win the derby, but the following year Sunderland seemed to be relegated, however went on perform what many people including manager at the time Gus Poyet a 'miracle', something that can only be described as divine intervention. Later Fr Lyden-Smith told BBC Radio Newcastle "We can say that he was a committed Sunderland supporter and he held up the jersey and made a big thing of it,".

Pope Francis will be remembered fondly among Sunderland supporters and the millions of people around the world he helped.

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