POPE GREETS HIS SOCCER TEAM

Vatican City, 10 April 2013 (VIS) – Among those present at this morning's general audience was a group from the St. Lawrence Athletic Club of Buenos Aires, Argentina, of which Pope Francis has been member number 88235N since 2008. The Holy Father gave a particularly warm greeting to “The Ravens”, as the team's fans are called, saying: “Ah, this is very important!”. He also greeted the Spanish-speaking pilgrims from Spain, Argentina, Mexico, and the other Latin American countries. At the same time he greeted the priests participating in a continuing education course at the Pontifical Spanish College in Rome.

Addressing the English-speaking pilgrims, he offered “prayerful good wishes” to the students of the NATO Defense College “that their service to international peace and cooperation be always fruitful”. Particularly addressing the groups of German students from Munster and Diessen, he thanked them for the music that they provided for the audience.

In conclusion, he spoke to the Italian pilgrims among whom were a group of employees from the IDI private clinic (Istituto Dermopatico dell'Immacolata, the Dermopathic Institute of the Immaculate), which is experiencing a severe labour crisis. “I hope,” the Pope said, “that a positive solution for such a difficult situation can be found as soon as possible.”