Pope Francis’ beloved soccer team in Buenos Aires mourns its most famous fan

Pope Francis’ beloved soccer club, San Lorenzo, held a Mass in honor of their most famous fan just two days after his passing. The club members, clad in team jerseys and holding rosaries, gathered at the team chapel in Buenos Aires to pay their respects to the first Latin American pontiff.

Jorge Mario Bergoglio, who later became Pope Francis, was a lifelong fan of San Lorenzo. He attended matches with his father as a child and continued to support the club by paying his membership fees until his death at the age of 88. His connection to the club was deeply rooted in his upbringing in the Flores neighborhood, close to the San Lorenzo stadium.

Father Juan Pablo Sclippa, who led the memorial Mass, described Francis not just as a fan, but as a friend to many. The club, founded in 1908 as a way to keep children off the streets, played a significant role in Bergoglio’s image as the “Pope of the people.”

Known for his humility and simplicity, Pope Francis endeared himself to many through his down-to-earth nature. His ties to San Lorenzo, despite his global responsibilities, remained strong. The club even experienced success on the field shortly after Francis became pope, leading some to see it as a sign of his support.

However, as fans mourned the loss of their beloved fan, San Lorenzo was rocked by a scandal involving the club’s president. Marcelo Moretti was caught on camera allegedly accepting money from a player’s mother in exchange for her son signing with the team. The scandal tarnished the club’s image at a time when they were already grieving the loss of Pope Francis.

Despite the turmoil, San Lorenzo’s dedicated fans found solace in a peculiar coincidence related to the late pontiff. Online forums buzzed with speculation about how Francis’ club membership number, 88,235, mirrored both his age at the time of his death and the exact hour of his passing. This eerie connection added another layer of mystique to the legacy of Pope Francis and his beloved soccer club, San Lorenzo.