Germany’s national team makes peace offering to Pope Francis
VATICAN CITY — The German national team presented Pope Francis with a shirt during an audience inside the Apostolic Palace on Monday, two years after it defeated Argentina in the World Cup final.
As he gave the Argentine pope a shirt signed by the team’s players, German FA president Reinhard Grindel says, “We became world champions beating the Argentine national team, which is something that might have upset you, so symbolically, this jersey also unites us and yourself for this matter.”
Francis, a lifelong fan of Buenos Aires club San Lorenzo, has had frequent meetings with soccer players from around the world.