The world of sport is “a constellation of many stars,” Pope Francis told La Gazzetta dello Sport, the Italian daily sports newspaper, during a wide-ranging interview in January 2021.

On April 21, 2025, that world lost, if not one of its brightest stars, then certainly one of its highest-placed advocates in Francis. In his youth, Francis was only ever a street athlete, but he was an avid and lifelong sports fan, especially when it came to soccer. In fact, Francis incorporated his love of the beautiful game into his outlook as pope — for him, sport was a way to communicate with people from all backgrounds and all corners of the globe.

With Leo XIV now installed as Francis’ successor, that sporting theme could continue in the Vatican, though the center of gravity may migrate from soccer to baseball. As befitting a US pope, Leo is known to be a fan of the American pastime, in particular his native Chicago White Sox.

Always ‘un cuervo!’

Long before the papacy, even before his first steps toward priesthood, for Jorge Mario Bergoglio — the boy who would go on to become Pope Francis — there was his hometown sports club, Buenos Aires’ San Lorenzo de Almagro.

From pulpit to pitch: Pope Francis used sport to get his message to a wider world — that could continue with baseball-loving Leo XIV

It was “part of my cultural identity,” Francis later said. So much so that he maintained his club membership throughout his life.

That became news upon his death, when a photo of his club card went viral. Argentine sports fans noted that his membership card number, 88235, coincided with his age, 88, and the moment of his death in Argentina time: 2:35am.

Francis’ relationship with San Lorenzo de Almagro was marked by mutual affection. The team memorialised him in various ways. They noted how he continues to accompany them by emblazoning on their jerseys his image and the words “juntos por la eternidad” or “together forever.”

In a touching video tribute posted on social media following Francis’ death, the club affirmed his belonging, from his childhood through his papacy, as “un cuervo” — or........

© Dawn (Magazines)