Jorge Maria Bergoglio, better known as Pope Francis or Papa Francesco, will not watch today’s World Cup final between his native Argentina and France.
The 86-year-old is known to be a serious football fan but he’s not watched a match on TV since July 15 1990, Calciomercato.com highlights. A few days after Argentina’s loss to West Germany in the World Cup final, Pope Francis decided not to watch TV again, a tradition that he will not break for today’s final between the Albiceleste and France.
The Pope has no exceptions for this rule, not even to watch his childhood club San Lorenzo Almagro, a team he used to watch at the stadium. He once revealed that a fan from Switzerland tells him the results every week, allowing him to keep up to date with his boyhood team.
Whilst the Pope will be cheering for Argentina from afar in their World Cup final clash with France, he will not see the action on the pitch.