Argentina’s San Lorenzo club pays tribute to Pope Francis during match

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Argentine soccer club San Lorenzo paid tributes to its fan Pope Francis during a national league home match on Saturday.

The pontiff, who died last Monday at age 88, was buried in Rome before the game.

San Lorenzo players wore a patch on their shirts with an image of Jorge Mario Bergoglio smiling and wearing his papal robes, accompanied by the phrase “Together for Eternity.” Visiting side Rosario Central won 1-0 thanks to an injury time goal.

Before the match, children from an initiative promoted by Bergoglio paraded with San Lorenzo’s youth team at Nuevo Gasómetro Stadium.

The club’s blue and red colors were mixed in the stands with the yellow and white of the Vatican flag in the form of smoke, ribbons and flags, some of them featuring the pope’s face.

San Lorenzo’s Iker Muniain, left, wearing a club jersey commemorating the late Pope Francis who was a lifelong supporter of the club, fights for the ball with Federico Navarro of Rosario Central, during a local soccer match, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Saturday, April 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Gustavo Garello)

Fans gave Francis a standing ovation only hours after he was buried in Rome.

San Lorenzo’s stadium is in the Bajo Flores neighborhood, close to Bergoglio’s birthplace. The pontiff was the club’s 88,235th member.

A club founded by Catholic priest Lorenzo Massa, San Lorenzo is expected to return to the neighborhood of the same name in Buenos Aires by the construction of a new stadium, which will be named “Pope Francis.”