Here's How Much Pope Francis' Super Bowl Message Cost

A lot of people have been asking: How much did that Pope Francis video message to the Super Bowl cost the Vatican? Did they spend millions of dollars??

First, to clear up some confusion: ChurchPOP regrettably erroneously reported that the Pope’s video message would be shown on TV during the game. That was not true. The video was instead shown on the jumbotrons within the NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas to the more than 70,000 people in attendance. So it was not like a normal Super Bowl commercial.

But companies would still normally pay for a video to be shown during the Super Bowl, even if only in the stadium. So how much did the Vatican pay for that?

Zero.

“The message did not cost the Vatican anything,” Director of the Holy See Press Office Greg Burke confirmed to ChurchPOP. “Most people are happy to have a message from the Pope, and the Super Bowl is no exception.”

So if you were concerned that the Vatican spent millions of dollars on the video that could have gone somewhere else, don’t worry!

Here’s the historic video if you missed it:

And here’s what Pope Francis said:

“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.

“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.

“May this year’s Super Bowl be a sign of peace, friendship and solidarity to the world.

“Thank you!”