Soccer fever has come to the home of the Catholic Church as the Vatican gears up for the start of a new tournament for priests and trainee clergymen.
The Clericus Cup kicks off here Saturday with a match between the Mater Ecclesiae college and the Pontifical Gregorian University.
It should be good game as the former is a predominantly Brazilian team, while the Gregorian side features a number of skilful Mexicans.
In total 300 players from 50 different countries are taking part in the competition.
There is a team of North American student priests and a squad of Croatians, but most of the sides are mixed-nationality outfits representing Church colleges and different parts of the Roman church.
The star of the tournament is Davide Tisato, a 23-year-old student priest who used to be part of Serie A club Chievo Verona's youth team. He will be putting his skills at the service of the Redemptoris Mater seminary team.
The oldest player is Yarza Inaki, a tough-tackling 54-year-old Basque priest.
The tournament follows the standard rules of soccer, but games will only last 60 minutes.
As well as yellow and red cards, referees will be able to show players who get a little carried away a blue card, which means they have to take a five-minute break to cool down.
Matches will be played on all days of the week, except Sunday.
The 16 teams are split into two groups of eight, which will play each other in a league format with the top sides qualifying for the knockout stage.
The final is scheduled to take place in June.
The tournament has been organized by the Centro Sportivo Italiano, a Christian body that promotes education through sport.
"We want to raise the awareness of sport's pastoral and educational importance among the present and future heads of the parishes," said Centro Sportivo Italiano Chief Edio Costantini.
"Sport can help heal the malaise of young Italian people, who today need to be saved from boredom, consumerism and a mercenary idea of life".
The head of the Italian Olympic Committee Gianni Petrucci attended Tuesday's presentation of the Cup and highlighted the role the Catholic parishes have traditionally played in organizing sporting activities in Italy.
"When I was a boy we used to play soccer at the oratory and in the summer we were all sad because it was closed," Petrucci said.
In December Vatican Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone caused a stir when he hinted the Holy See might set up its own national team.
But he later squashed the idea, confessing that it was just a bit of "fun to spread some cheer and maybe fill half a page of the newspapers".
