Pope Francis supports “Football for Peace” match in
Rome
Roma's Manuel Iturbe is congratulated by team mates after scoring during a friendly football match in Rome.- AP |
(Vatican Radio) ‘Roma’ bomber
Manuel Iturbe is one of the star football players taking part in a “Football
for Peace” match, supported by Pope Francis, coming up at Rome’s Olympic
Stadium.
The “United for Peace”
charity event will be played in aid of the educational and social
initiatives promoted by the Pontifical Foundation ‘Scholas Occurrentes’ on 12
October.
The Foundation is an
international project based in Argentina that brings together schools and
educational networks from different cultures and religious backgrounds.
The “United for Peace”
match was presented on Friday morning at a press conference led by José Maria
del Corral, President of the Scholas Occurentes Foundation, who said the
inspiration for the initiative is to be found in the Pope’s reiterated appeal
to build peace by promoting a culture of encounter.
“The Pope says that football
teaches us to work together as a team” he said and that is why “the
protagonists of this match will be two important Italian football associations
(Roma and Lazio) who immediately lent their support” to the initiative.
Star football player Manuel
Iturbe, who has already participated in other charity events of the same
nature, described matches such as this as “something beautiful”.
“I think that every football
player would be happy to be here to participate in this beautiful initiative
taken by the Vatican” he said.
Supporting the initiative was
also Argentinean Bishop Marcelo Sánchez Sorondo, Chancellor of the
Pontifical Academy of Sciences and of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences
who pointed out that sport – and football in particular - are incredibly
powerful tools for building peace and unity as they reach and involve and unite
young people all over the world.
“It is incredibly important
because we aim to reach some 50% of young people who do not receive education
with our programmes. An initiative such as this one puts sport and beauty
together and is able to communicate the importance of education for all” he
said.
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