Santo Papa Futbol Cup set to honor Pope Francis

MANILA, Philippines – Pope Francis' affection for football did not go unnoticed for the Filipino faithful especially in the Typhoon Yolanda-ravaged Tacloban City as a three-day Santo Papa Futbol Cup is set to kick off Thursday in line with the Papal visit in the country.

The three-day event, which gathers 100 kids aged 13 years old and below, has been organized by the Mission Tacloban, which was created by the Doña Remedios Trinidad Romualdez Medical Foundation (RTR Foundation) together with Team Socceroo Football Club and The Henry V. Moran Foundation.

In hopes of attracting Pope Francis – a known football fan – the football festival of hope is designed for young victims of typhoon Yolanda who are still dealing with psychological trauma.

Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina, Pope Francis is an ardent supporter of Argentinean pro club San Lorenzo FC, a professional club in his native Argentina that was founded by a Catholic priest who offered the front yard of his parish church as a play area for children playing football in the streets. The Pope also hosted a charity football event last year that attracted several international football stars, including compatriot and one of the sport's greatest players Diego Maradona.

Similar to the Match for Peace hosted by Pope Francis in Rome last year, Tacloban's football festival is also a charity event designed to help young victims of Yolanda.

“The Santo Papa Futbol Cup is a part of RTR Foundation/Mission Tacloban’s ongoing commitment to fully support the recovery and rebuilding of lives and communities in Leyte, specifically among the youth who are still severely traumatized by Typhoon Yolanda,” said Ginggay Hontiveros, mission director of RTR Foundation/Mission Tacloban.

The event is also being supported by Energy Development Corp. (EDC), Pasar Foundation, Olympic Village, Leyte Football Association, International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) Foundation, SR Metals Inc., Philippine Football Federation (PFF) President Nonong Araneta and Rayomar Outreach Foundation Inc.

Six teams will come from Tacloban while two will hail from Ormoc City, also a Yolanda-stricken area. One of the teams is composed of kids from a community from Ormoc that is supported by the EDC.

The ICTSI Foundation will award the winning team with a trip to Manila to participate in a grassroots event of the PFF in March.

Team Socceroo Football Club, a professional football club based in Metro Manila, will provide the coaches, technical and organizational inputs as part of its social responsibility.

“Santo Papa Futbol Cup is a celebration of the papal visit but, more important, it is for the Typhoon Yolanda victims, where the focus is to uplift spirits and provide a message of hope through football. This initiative for us is Plenus Pectus or ‘full heart’, our club’s motto,” Socceroo Team Manager Nicholas Reyes said.

The three-day event will culminate with Pope Francis' scheduled visit in Tacloban on Saturday to mingle with Yolanda survivors.

“We recognize the power of football to not only change lives but, more important, in its ability to bring love and compassion to those who may have lost hope,” Danny Moran of the Henry V. Moran Foundation said.