Pope Francis has inadvertently thrown his support behind the NFL's New Orleans Saints for the second time this week through social media posts.
The pontiff's recent messages on X, formerly Twitter, have included the hashtag '#Saints', automatically displaying the American football team's distinctive fleur-de-lis logo.
The divine intervention comes at a crucial moment for the struggling New Orleans team, who have recently sacked their head coach Dennis Allen amidst a seven-game losing streak.
The Pope's posts about religious saints have unexpectedly reached thousands of NFL enthusiasts, creating an unusual intersection between faith and American football.
The Pope's first message this week read: "The #Saints are precious pearls and are always living and relevant, because they provide a fascinating commentary on the Gospel."
A subsequent post declared: "We cannot become #Saints with a frown.
Pope Francis pledged his support to the New Orleans Saints by accident
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"We must have joyful hearts that remain open to hope."
This isn't the first time the Pope's social media activity has coincided with the NFL team's fortunes.
In 2019, he posted: "Today we give thanks to the Lord for our new #Saints."
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That same day, New Orleans secured a significant victory against Jacksonville, despite missing their star quarterback Drew Brees.
NFL fans quickly flooded the Pope's posts with varied reactions.
"I'm sorry Pope but the #Saints will not go marching this year," wrote one sceptical supporter.
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Several fans focused on the team's financial challenges, with one writing: "They need to fix the cap issue first, Pontifex."
A Houston Texans supporter asked if his team could "catch a blessing too," whilst a New England Patriots fan sought divine intervention for the "upcoming draft."
Some Saints supporters remained optimistic, with one noting: "Now that Dennis Allen is gone we have hope again," following special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi's promotion to interim head coach.
The Saints maintain close ties with the Catholic Church through team owner Gayle Benson's personal friendship with New Orleans Archbishop Gregory Aymond.
Dennis Allen was fired as Saints coach this month
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Benson has contributed millions to local Catholic institutions, with Aymond standing by her side during her late husband's funeral.
However, this relationship has faced scrutiny after Saints media staff assisted the Archdiocese of New Orleans with handling fallout from church sex abuse scandals in 2018 and 2019.
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The team has since fought to keep related email records private, claiming they shouldn't be made public.
The Archdiocese recently offered abuse victims a £62 million settlement, though survivors have countered with a £1 billion proposal.
