Pope Leo XIV addressed speculation about his allegiance to Rome during a private audience with newly crowned Italian champions, Napoli. Roma is Napoli’s rival, and the audience was on Tuesday. Upon Leo’s entrance into the Clementine Hall of the Apostolic Palace, where Napoli’s players and staff were gathered, there was a brief pause before the guests began to applaud. This morning, Pope Leo XIV met with members of SSC Napoli, the football club which on Friday won the Italian league title. In a brief speech delivered before greeting the players, the Pope reflected on the importance of teamwork and the “moral quality” of sport. Congratulating… pic.twitter.com/cQf4AjzRqD — Vatican News (@VaticanNews) May 27, 2025 “Maybe they didn’t want to applaud because the media claims I’m a Romanista,” Leo remarked, referring to Roma fans. “Not everything you read in the press is true.” Pope Francis, Leo’s predecessor, was from Argentina and a devoted supporter of the Buenos Aires football club, San Lorenzo. Napoli secured its fourth Serie A title with a 2-0 victory over Cagliari on Friday, with goals from Scott McTominay and Romelu Lukaku. Aurelio De Laurentiis, Napoli’s president and film producer, presented Leo with a Napoli No. 10 shirt, bearing the pope’s name and the signatures of all the club’s players. This number was famously worn by the late Diego Maradona when he played for Napoli. ⚽️ Ricevendo in udienza i calciatori del @sscnapoli neocampioni della @SerieA, Leone XIV richiama il “valore sociale” del calcio: “i talenti” del singolo devono essere messi al servizio della “squadra”#VaticanNewsIT Leggi qui ⬇️https://t.co/IWkRnQha7u pic.twitter.com/OvmoB9Xgs7 — Vatican News (@vaticannews_it) May 27, 2025 “You’re a No. 10,” De Laurentiis said, referring to the number typically worn by a team’s most talented forward. When De Laurentiis introduced Napoli coach Antonio Conte, the pope interrupted, saying, “I know him from the TV screen; I’ve seen him many times.” Conte has also coached Italy’s national team, Juventus, Chelsea, and Inter Milan. “He’s profoundly Catholic,” De Laurentiis said of Conte. “He’s someone who believes in God very devoutly and prays often.” Leo highlighted the “social aspect” of Napoli’s achievement. “Soccer is extremely popular in Italy and almost the entire world,” Leo said. “This achievement’s social value surpasses the technical-sports aspect as it exemplifies a team that works together, where individual talents are sacrificed for the common good.” The pope also cautioned that “when sports become a business, they risk losing the values that make them educational and can, in fact, become un-educational.” “I want to appeal to parents and sports officials: you need to carefully monitor the moral quality of the sports experience at the competitive level, as it significantly impacts the personal growth of young people,” Leo said. The meeting with Napoli took place less than two weeks after Leo had a private audience with top-ranked tennis player Jannik Sinner.