Pope Francis has become a Sunderland fan!
Sunderland's club chaplain Father Marc Layden-Smith has sought divine intervention at the Stadium of Light and this week presented Pope Francis with a personalised Sunderland shirt.
Father Marc, who was on a pilgrimage to the Vatican, tweeted a photo of the pontiff with his shirt, emblazoned with 'Papa Francesco' on the back.
"Somehow I got close to him," Father Marc said. "He was very interested in where Sunderland were in the league and I told him about the derby. He was too diplomatic to pick a side but I asked him to pray for the club."
