Pope Francis hopes the World Cup will bring the world together and offer a step to ending discrimination and racism.
“My hope is that, besides being a sporting feast, the World Cup can become a feast of solidarity among peoples,” he said in a video message. “Sport is a school of peace. It teaches us to build peace.”
“To win, we must overcome individualism, selfishness, all forms of racism, intolerance and manipulation of people,” he continued. “Let nobody turn their back on society and feel excluded! No to segregation! No to racism!”
However, the World Cup has so far split apart Brazil. Citizens are upset the country chose to spend over $11 billion on the tournament.
Pope Francis hails from Argentina, which boasts a team that is favored to win the World Cup. He is a fan of the San Lorenzo club from Buenos Aires and received many jerseys since he was elected pope.
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