The Vatican currently sponsors Serie B side AC Ancona, but is not classed as a shareholder.The club has had an ethical overhaul, with more emphasis on family seats and a clampdown on indiscipline.
In spite of a string of recent Calcio scandals, The Pope met with a group of players and staff involved in Serie D. It is at the lower levels of Calcio that the Vatican reportedly sees the value of youth development, free from money and glamour.
"I'd like the game of football to be a vehicle for the education of the values of honesty, solidarity and fraternity, especially among younger generations," Pope Benedict XVI said whilst addressing the Serie D crowd.
AC Ancona are the pioneers of a code of ethics drafted by Italy's main Catholic sports body, the Centro Sportivo Italiano (CSI).
Despite initial reports to the contrary, the Vatican endorses the Dorici’s 'innovative, ethical model of practising football'.
"Soccer should increasingly become a tool for the teaching of life's ethical and spiritual values," the Pope said late last year
The German-born pontiff is a fan of Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich.
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