Pope Francis, a die-hard soccer fan, explicitly commissioned the interfaith match, says L’Osservatore Romano. He’s been vocal about the benefits of sports, recently tweeting, “The World Cup allowed people from different countries and religions to come together. May sport always promote the culture of encounter.”

Zanetti agrees, commenting, “How many values can we bear witness to simply by playing a game?” He added that he feels that the match will be “a symbolic gesture to help people understand that it is possible to build a world of peace, based on dialogue and respect for others.”

Source: www.huffingtonpost.com/