Vatican-All-Star Soccer: Pope gets cheers from full-house stadium

"Sport is spread in every corner of the world, overcoming diversity of culture and nation," John Paul told fans and worshippers. "Because of the global profile of sports, there is a great responsibility of athletes in the world." The stadium Mass, just a mile from St. Peter's Square, was the centerpiece of the Roman Catholic church's weekend-long Sports Jubilee, one in a series of Holy Year events honoring a range of trades and pursuits.

A torch-lighting opened the event, attended by International Olympic Committee president Juan Antonio Samaranch and about 80,000 other invited guests. Hundreds of children dressed in red, blue, yellow and green T-shirts lined up before the game to form a cross on the stadium turf.

"When I think about all you gathered here in this stadium, many memories return of my life that are linked to sporting activities," said the pope, who played goalkeeper in soccer games as a boy in Poland, and was an avid hiker and skier through his adult years.

John Paul then settled in for the game _ a showdown between the Italian national team and the best foreign players in Italy's prestigious Serie A. The crowd, carrying flags of different nations and soccer squads, did "the wave" and cheered for the pontiff and its favorite strikers and midfielders.

Among the stars were Italy's Alessandro Del Piero, Argentina's Gabriel Batistuta and the Netherlands' Edgar Davids. The team of foreign stars was skippered by Sven Goran Eriksson and Fabio Capello, coaches of Lazio and AS Roma, the squads that share the Rome stadium, which was the site of the 1960 Olympics.

The game ended in a scoreless draw. Players lined up before leaving to kneel and kiss the pope's hand. Several offered gifts of soccer balls to the pontiff. "This offers all - managers, coaches and athletes - the occasion to find a new creative and forceful push, so that sports responds without unnatural (factors) to the exigencies of the times," the pope said.

Earlier this week, Monsignor Carlo Mazza told Italy's Famiglia Cristiana magazine that the sports world should heed the pope's call to make this year a time of forgiveness and repentance, noting the ongoing problems of racism and doping in the sporting world.

(AP)