Rome, Italy, May 13, 2009 / 21:11 pm
Athletes representing the Pontifical North American College are one step closer to the 2009 Clericus Cup in a soccer tournament that pits teams of priests and students from various Roman seminaries against each other.
By a 4-3 victory on Wednesday the North American Martyrs defeated a mostly Brazilian squad of seminarians and priests from the Collegio Brasiliano e Orionino, Voice of America reports.
The priests and seminarians played on a field in Vatican City not far from St. Peter’s Basilica. They closed the game with a prayer.
The game was part of the Clericus Cup tournament, which takes inspiration from Pope John Paul II, a former goalie. The late Pope’s sports foundation, Italian sports authorities and the Vatican organize the annual tournament.