As World Cup begins, Pope Leo says soccer teaches us to ‘pass the ball,’ ‘walk together’
Youths stage a soccer match during a meeting with Pope Leo XIV and the diocesan community at the Santiago Bernabéu stadium in Madrid, Monday, June 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
BARCELONA, Spain (RNS) — Pope Leo XIV said he started appreciating soccer as a bishop in Peru. On the papal plane to Spain, he weighed in on one of the most heated rivalries in soccer, Real Madrid vs. FC Barcelona, saying ‘the pope is for all teams, but Prevost is for Real Madrid.’
