SOCCER: Pope Leo holds an audience with Italian Serie A winner Inter Milan football team

Pope Leo held a private audience with a delegation of players and managers of Inter Milan soccer club on Saturday (May 9) after the club clinched this season's Italian Serie A soccer league title.

 During the audience, which took place in the Hall of the Consistory at Vatican’s Apostolic Palace, the pontiff congratulated them on their victory and emphasized their responsibility towards young people, who look up to them “as their heroes, as role models to emulate”, as the pope put it. He further said that “young people today really need role models, and what you can do can have a positive or negative impact on their lives."

 The club had been crowned champions of the highest level of the Italian soccer league system on Sunday (May 3) after beating Parma at the San Siro stadium in Milan.

The Italian Serie A is colloquially called the “scudetto” (small shield), which refers to the small coat of arms that the winners traditionally wear on their strip in the season after their victory. 

Last year, Pope Leo had met the last season’s Serie A champions from SSC Napoli. Inter Milan met the pontiff for the first time.