Pope Benedict XVI says he will watch World Cup games

Oct 26, 2005, 19:17 GMT

Franz Beckenbauer (C), president of the 2006 World Cup organising committee, talks with Pope Benedict XVI after the general audience, Wednesday 26 October 2005, on St. Peter\'s square, Vatican City. Franz Beckenbauer met his countryman Pope Benedict Wednesday as part of the World Cup chief\'s welcome trip around Europe. Beckenbauer, popularly known as the Kaiser, handed the Pope a 2006 World Cup pennant at the brief audience. EPA/ETTORE FERRARI EPA/OSSERVATORE ROMANO

Vatican City - Pope Benedict XVI wished the 2006 World Cup 'the best of luck' and revealed that he will be watching 'many of the games on television' during a meeting Wednesday with Organizing Committee (OC) president Franz Beckenbauer.

The short meeting between the two German nationals took place at the end of the pope's traditional mid-week general audience in St. Peter's Square, which was attended by an estimated 50,000 people.

'This was one of the most moving moments of my life,' Beckenbauer declared after the meeting with his fellow Bavarian.

The two exchanged a few words face-to-face and Beckenbauer gifted the pope with a pennant of the 2006 World Cup, OC vice-president Wolfgang Niersbach told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.

Benedict, a known football fan, wished the OC 'lots of luck for the World Cup in Germany' and thanked him for the gift.

'I'll be watching many of the games on TV,' OC officials quoted the pope as saying.

Beckenbauer's visit to Rome is part of his global trip, personally welcoming the 31 countries that have qualified along with automatically qualified hosts Germany for the 2006 World Cup, which takes place June 9 to July 9, 2006.

The 'Kaiser' of German football has already been to Teheran, Riyadh, Seoul and Tokyo and hopes to have visited all 31 countries by February 2006.