By Hal Mayer  Feb 09

True to his method of getting attention, Pope Francis prepared an ad to be shown during the American football championship game called the Super Bowl. The ad, a first for the Vatican, aired at the game on a massive jumbo screen above the field. It was also posted on YouTube and other social media. It was also apparently shown on TV.

“Great sporting events like today’s Super Bowl are highly symbolic, showing that it is possible to build a culture of encounter and a world of peace,” he says in Spanish with English subtitles.

“By participating in sport, we are able to go beyond our own self-interest ― and in a healthy way ― we learn to sacrifice, to grow in fidelity and respect the rules,” he continues. “May this year’s Super Bowl be a sign of peace, friendship and solidarity to the world.”

Pope Francis is an avid sports fan himself and uses the classic Greek arguments on behalf of sport. American football is perhaps one of the most pugilistic of sports with brutal clashes on nearly every play.

Pope Francis continues to find ways to ingratiate himself to Americans whenever he can. In September 2015, he was given the unprecedented opportunity to speak to the American Congress for the first time for a pope in history. Now he tries once again to capture the imagination of football fans.

Why does Pope Francis have such opportunities to present himself and his persona to the masses? It’s because he pretends to be Christ’s representative on earth, yet his is involved with worldly powers in a way that Christ never did. This makes him very popular with the world-loving crowd.

In the video, the pope calls people to come together for peace, friendship and solidarity. But never does he call them to come to Christ for healing of humanity’s deep wounds and for international unity around God’s kingdom. He wants them to rally around him and the Papacy rather than turn to their Bibles.

“And all the world wondered.” Revelation 13:3.