Rome, Italy, Oct 9, 2007 / 07:58 am
It seems as though the Italian bishops, despite their love of soccer, have not purchased the Italian club AC Ancona, as was previously reported. However, the new owners of the team have forged a relationship with Centro Sportivo Italiano (CSI) to bring more Catholic values to the club.
Yesterday afternoon, the press secretary for the Vatican, Fr. Federico Lombardi, told the press that neither the Vatican nor the Italian Bishop’s Conference has purchased AC Ancona or taken responsibility for it.
"The Vatican and the Italian Episcopal Conference have nothing to do with this project," declared Fr. Lombardi. "There are initiatives which have positive and commendable aims and, if the declared intentions can be effectively achieved, this is certainly a good thing," he said adding, however, that this does not mean that this is an initiative of the Vatican or of the Italian Episcopal Conference.
Perhaps the only connection between the Vatican and the soccer club is that the members of the team will be present at tomorrow’s general audience, where they will present Pope Benedict with a #16 AC Ancona jersey.