“Many make the sign of the cross,” a slightly surprised reporter interjects, and Mancini explains,“I used to do that too, you know, hoping nothing happened during the game, then we went to the pope. Pope Francis said, ‘Why are you making the sign of the cross, don’t you have other thoughts in this moment?’ So since that time I don’t do it anymore. I don’t want the pope to get angry.”

Pope Francis is widely regarded as the first anti-Catholic pope. MORE