- Pope Francis’ death at the age of 88 was confirmed on Easter Monday morning
- Italian giants Juventus were one of the teams due to play in Serie A on Monday
All football matches in Italy have been postponed as a mark of respect following the passing of Pope Francis on Easter Monday morning.
Confirmed by the Vatican, the first-ever Latin American pontiff died at the age off 88.
And in tribute to the Bishop of Rome, all senior men’s and Under-20 top-flight fixtures have been called off.
In a statement released shortly following the Pope’s death, Serie A put out: ‘Following the passing of the Holy Father, the Lega Nazionale Professionisti Serie A announces that the matches scheduled for today of the Serie A Enilive and Primavera 1 Championships are postponed to a date to be determined.’
There were due to be four Serie A fixture across Easter Monday starting with Torino versus Udinese (11.30am, BST).
Following that encounter was due to be Cagliari versus Fiorentina (2pm), Genoa versus Lazio (5pm) and Parma versus Juventus (7.45pm) concluding the action.
Football matches across Italy have been called off following the death of Pope Francis
Parma’s clash with Juventus scheduled for Easter Monday night has been postponed
In Primavera 1 the three now-postponed matches were Roma U20s versus Udinese U20s (11am), Monza U20s versus Sassuolo U20s and Sampdoria U20s versus Torino U20s.
It is currently unclear when those aforementioned games will be rearranged, as per Serie A’s statement.
After the announcement of Pope Francis’ passing, bells tolled in church towers across Rome. His death was read out by Cardinal Kevin Farrell, the Vatican camerlengo, from the chapel of the Domus Santa Marta, where Francis lived.
‘At 7.35 this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the home of the Father. His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and of his Church,’ he said.
‘He taught us to live the values of the Gospel with faithfulness, courage, and universal love, especially for the poorest and most marginalised.
‘With immense gratitude for his example as a true disciple of the Lord Jesus, we commend the soul of Pope Francis to the infinite, merciful love of God, One and Tribune.’
Pope Francis, who suffered from chronic lung disease and had part of one lung removed as a young man, was admitted to Gemelli hospital on February 14 for a respiratory crisis that developed into double pneumonia.
Pope Francis is given a Napoli shirt by club owner Aurelio De Laurentiis (bottom left) in 2023
He spent 38 days there, the longest hospital stay of his 12-year papacy.
However, he emerged on Easter Sunday – a day before his death – to bless thousands of people in St Peter’s Square and treat them to a surprise Popemobile tour of the piazza, drawing wild cheers and applause.
