VATICAN - Clericus Cup athletes will attend Papal General Audience tomorrow

Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - An important appointment awaits the participants in the second Clericus Cup event: on Wednesday 5 December representatives of each of the 16 teams in the championship will take part in the general audience of Pope Benedict XVI. The cleric footballers wearing their team colours, and accompanied by national CSI president Edio Costantini, will receive a special blessing from the Holy Father. To be made public tomorrow, the first edition of a book of photographs “Clericus Cup! On the field not only for play…” with the most significant photos of last year's Clericus Cup. A copy will be given to Pope Benedict XVI when he greets the cleric sportsmen.
Some 400 athletes, from 71 different countries all over the world are taking part in this second edition of the football championship for priests and seminarians promoted by the CSI (Centro Sportivo Italiano). A total number of 16 teams in two divisions, will be playing in the football fields of the Oratorio San Pietro from November 2007 to March 2008 and the final will be played on 3 May at Rome's Stadio dei Marmi.
The championship is international but the largest national group of with 59 athletes is Italy followed by Mexico (30), Colombia (25), United States (23) and Croatians (17 players). Significant the presence in various teams of Bosnians, Rumanians, Brazilians, Salavadorians, Ecuadorians, Cameroonians, Congolese, Sri Lankans, Malaysians. Also to be watched players from countries less known for football traditions such as Papua New Guinea, Rwanda, Vietnam and Burma. New in this second Clericus Cup is the participation of cleric footballers from Japan, Switzerland and Iraq and Indonesia. With the Clericus the Cup Centro Sportivo Italiano intends to put itself at the service of world of young people and the ecclesial world, highlighting sport as a central channel for human and social promotion. CSI strives to out sport back in parishes and oratories where it has been missing for too long. (S.L.) (Agenzia Fides 4/12/2007; righe 31; parole 434)