Lisbon, Portugal, May 12, 2010 / 09:50 am
Prior to Mass in Lisbon on Tuesday, the current champions of the Portugal's soccer league gave Pope Benedict the team's jersey with the name “Bento” and the number 16 printed on the back.
In an interview with Agencia Ecclesia, the Portuguese bishops' news agency, the team's captain, Nuno Gomes remarked that he was filled "with great emotion and pride" during the celebration in Lisbon. "The Catholic soccer players are very pleased with the visit of Benedict XVI to Portugal.”
In addition to the soccer team, volunteers for World Youth Day 2011 lined the streets of Lisbon for the Pope’s visit.
Portuguese Prime Minister Jose Socrates, who attended the Mass, called the Holy Father’s trip to the country “extraordinarily important.”