Pope Francis and King Charles send messages ahead of a match between their respective cricket teams.
By Joseph Tulloch – London
On Wednesday, the Vatican cricket team travelled to Windsor Castle, home to King Charles and various members of the Royal Family.
There, they faced off against the King’s XI, a cricket team composed of members of the monarch’s household.
The match was the culmination of the Vatican side’s ‘Light of Faith’ UK tour – its tenth foreign trip since its foundation in 2014 – which has seen it face off against the England Seniors team and St Mary’s University.
The Vatican team gathers in prayer before the match
A tense game
At this match, a slow wicket meant the ball kept low, causing problems for batsmen on both sides.
The Vatican, who opened the batting, lost a few quick wickets, and had to settle for a final score of 98 for 8.
They immediately struck back, however, with dominant bowling. After three overs, the Vatican had taken three wickets, and limited their opponents to seven runs.
The Vatican kept the pressure on until, around twelve overs in, rain started to descend, causing problems for their bowlers. A strong partnership with six wickets down allowed the King’s XI to pile on the runs.
The eight and ninth wickets fell in the nineteenth over, and the game was balanced on a knife-edge. In the end, in the final over, the King’s XI was able to get over the line, finishing on 99 for 9.
The match at Windsor Castle
Messages from Pope Francis and King Charles
Before the match, Fr Eamonn O’Higgins, the Vatican squad’s manager, had read out a message from Pope Francis.
The Pope sent his greetings to both teams, and expressed his hope that the event would be an occasion to “build bridges of fraternal solidarity, promote Christian unity, and advance generous charitable initiatives.”
King Charles had also prepared a message for the occasion. The monarch pointed out that this was the fourth match between the Vatican and a royal team, and said he was “delighted” that the two sides had “once again been brought together by the love of cricket.”
Noting that the Vatican are “reigning champions”, having won the previous match, the King added that he was “await[ing] keenly to hear of the result!”.
Vatican players tour Windsor Castle before the match
Sport: diplomacy in a divided world
Fr O’Higgins also presented a letter and medal to Sir John Spurling, a British businessman and a patron of the Vatican Cricket team.
The letter, written by Cardinal Tolentino de Mendonça – the Prefect of the Vatican Dicastery which oversees the cricket team – thanked Sir John for his “extraordinarily generous” support.
The Cardinal stressed the importance of the team’s “sporting diplomacy” in the context of what Pope Francis calls a “third world war in instalments”.
This was a theme that Chris Trott, the UK ambassador to the Holy See, picked up on too, in an interview with Vatican News.
He said that the match had “great resonance” on a number of levels, both political and religious.
“Sport builds friendships and overcomes barriers”, the Ambassador said, “and this match is a great example of that.”