During a meeting with Latin American bishops held on the Vatican on 13 June (the day after the World Cup opener), Pope Francis showed that he was watching the match between Brazil and Croatia. The Pope met with the Brazilian Archbishop during the meeting of the Populorum Progressio Foundation for Latin America, and took the opportunity to make a joke to the Archbishop of Salvador during the initial greetings of the event:
“Congratulations! That first goal against must have been hard to swallow," said Pope Francis, referring to the own goal scored by left-back Marcelo in the first match of the World Cup in São Paulo. The game ended with Brazil beating Croatia by 3-1. The Archbishop of Salvador just smiled back.
» One day before the Cup, Pope Francis released a message about the World Cup and the importance of sport as an instrument to disseminate values
Watch the video posted by RomeReports.com (with English subtitles)