Pope receives Italian champions Napoli, plays down Roma fan reports
Pope Leo XIV presides over the Eucharistic celebration and takes possesion of the Roman Cathedral and declared himself a Roman and completed the formalities to become bishop of Rome. Oliver Weiken/dpa
Pope Leo XIV has welcomed the new Italian football champions Napoli to the Vatican,
During the audience on Tuesday, the new head of 1.4 billion Catholics congratulated the team of Antonio Conte on their fourth title, which they secured on Friday.
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Winning a championship is an "achievement at the end of a long journey," the American pontiff said.
At the same time, he warned that sport must not become a mere business, but must preserve its values.
The new pontiff, who has been at the helm of the Catholic Church since May 8, is considered to be a sports fan.
The 69-year-old plays tennis and was spotted at baseball games in the past.
One of his first guests after his election as pope was the Italian tennis world number one Jannik Sinner.
At the reception for the team from Naples, Leo also referred to reports that he is a supporter of their rival club Roma.
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"The press say I'm a Roma fan," he joked. "But welcome: Not everything the press says is true."
On Monday, around 200,000 people in Naples turned out for the team's parade through the southern Italian city.
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