Sunderland AFC chaplain Father Marc heading to meet the Pope with gift of a customised Leo 14 shirt | OneFootball

Sunderland AFC chaplain Father Marc Lyden-Smith will take a customised home shirt to the Vatican on Wednesday to present to Pope Leo.

According to Sunderland Echo, the club supplied a shirt bearing Pope Leo 14 on the back, marking him as the 14th pope named Leo. Father Marc was pictured handing a Sunderland shirt to Pope Francis in 2013.

He said Pope Francis, from Argentina and a San Lorenzo supporter, blessed that shirt the day before they faced Newcastle United, and Sunderland won the next day. He added that Wednesday also marks the start of the Europa League campaign against AZ Alkmaar.

Pope Leo was appointed in May last year, after the death of Pope Francis, becoming the first pope from the USA. Father Marc said Leo is a keen sports fan, follows baseball, plays tennis three times a week, and developed a love of soccer while working in Peru.

Father Marc, SAFC’s chaplain for 14 years and author of Faith and Football, is travelling on pilgrimage with parishioners and hopes to hand over the shirt during the weekly Wednesday Papal Audience.

As a Catholic priest, he has applied to attend the Pope’s daily 6am Mass.

The shirt was passed to him by SAFC chief operating officer Paul Kingsmore during a talk about his book to the Senior Sunderland Supports Association at the Stadium of Light.

He intends to present it on behalf of the people of Sunderland, wish Pope Leo well, and ask for a prayer for the team’s European adventure.

Source: Sunderland Echo

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