Pope Francis, 87, made headlines this week—not for Synod discussions or upcoming papal visits but for a hilarious mixup on X.
The Holy Father and his social media team have previously taken to X to spread messages of hope, faith, and important announcements.
On Tuesday, November 5, 2024, Pope Francis shared,
“The #Saints⚜️ are precious pearls and are always living and relevant, because they provide a fascinating commentary on the Gospel. Their lives are an illustration of the Good News that Jesus brought to humanity: God is our Father, who loves everyone with boundless love.”
The #Saints are precious pearls and are always living and relevant, because they provide a fascinating commentary on the Gospel. Their lives are an illustration of the Good News that Jesus brought to humanity: God is our Father, who loves everyone with boundless love.
— Pope Francis (@Pontifex) November 5, 2024
However, when using the hashtag "#Saints,” the NFL's New Orleans Saints logo appears. This displays a golden fleur de lis, or "lily flower" in English.
Perhaps the Holy Father’s social media team is unfamiliar with hashtags and made a small mistake. Perhaps they used it as a fun way to play a joke on Americans and get their message out. After all, becoming a saint should be our life’s goal!
Either way, the New Orleans Saints played along.
The New Orleans Saints retweeted Pope Francis' original post and shared a photo of Saints' owner Gayle Benson presenting a custom New Orleans Saints jersey to the Holy Father in 2024.
Thank you for your prayers, Pontiff
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) November 5, 2024
We need them 🙏 https://t.co/8SiwDFUHm7 pic.twitter.com/PVdT2LP1bt
The post reads, “Thank you for your prayers, Pontiff. We need them.”
On November 7, the Holy Father took to X once more to say, “We cannot become #Saints⚜️ with a frown. We must have joyful hearts that remain open to hope.”
We cannot become #Saints with a frown. We must have joyful hearts that remain open to hope.
— Pope Francis (@Pontifex) November 7, 2024
The team's account later added “Amen #Saints⚜️” to the Pontiff’s November 7 mixup on X.
Amen #Saints https://t.co/zDsyaPe9tL
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) November 7, 2024
The NFL Saints' fanbase also shared jokes on X about the funny errors.
One person said, “The Saints are officially the holiest team in the NFL."
Another user said, “I have to like this, even as a Bucs fan.”
Many others poked fun at their own team’s record.
This user said, "It might be too late."
Someone else added, “Is he available to coach?”
Another person said, “Losing to the Panthers was so bad that they had to call up the Pope."
Even Fanatics, a famous sports gear and apparel company, replied to the Holy Father, saying, “What's your size, Your Holiness?”
Despite this entertaining mixup, we were in fact made for Heaven and sainthood is attainable!