STORY: Pope Leo held a private audience with a delegation of players and managers of Inter Milan soccer club on Saturday (May 9) after the club clinched this season's Italian Serie A soccer league title.

During the audience, which took place in the Hall of the Consistory at Vatican’s Apostolic Palace, the pontiff congratulated them on their victory and emphasized their responsibility towards young people, who look up to them “as their heroes, as role models to emulate”, as the pope put it. He further said that “young people today really need role models, and what you can do can have a positive or negative impact on their lives."

The club had been crowned champions of the highest level of the Italian soccer league system on Sunday (May 3) after beating Parma at the San Siro stadium in Milan. The Italian Serie A is colloquially called the “scudetto” (small shield), which refers to the small coat of arms that the winners traditionally wear on their strip in the season after their victory.

Last year, Pope Leo had met the last season’s Serie A champions from SSC Napoli.

Inter Milan met the pontiff for the first time.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

SHOWS: VATICAN CITY (MAY 9, 2026) (VATICAN MEDIA - Access all)

1. INTER MILAN ASSISTANT COACH AND FORMER PLAYER ALEKSANDAR KOLAROV (RIGHT) SITTING NEXT TO TEAM CAPTAIN LAUTARO MARTINEZ, NICOLO BARELLA AND STEFAN DE VRIJ AS INTER SQUAD AWAIT POPE

2. INTER PRESIDENT GIUSEPPE 'BEPPE' MAROTTA STANDING UP NEXT TO INTER VICE PRESIDENT AND CLUB LEGEND JAVIER ZANETTI, ZANETTI SITTING NEXT TO REPRESENTATIVES FROM OAKTREE (INTER'S OWNERS) ALEJANDRO CANO AND KATHERINE RALPH, WITH INTER'S SPORTING DIRECTOR PIERO AUSILIO SITTING ON RIGHT EDGE

3. INTER HEAD COACH CRISTIAN CHIVU SITTING NEXT TO KOLAROV

4. INTER SQUAD SEATED

5. (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) POPE LEO, SAYING:

“This is certainly for all of you a moment of great joy, which I am glad to be able to witness.”

6. WHITE FLASH

7. (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) POPE LEO, SAYING:

“Whilst I congratulate you, I invite you to reflect on this experience, so that, at this moment of success, you may become bearers of a message that is particularly valuable for the development of young people. These days, many of them look up to you as their heroes, as role models to emulate, and this places a responsibility on you that goes beyond your performance and calls on you, as athletes, to be ambassadors for certain values. I’d really like to emphasise that because today’s youth really needs role models, and what you do can have a positive or negative impact on their lives.”

8. POPE LEO SHAKING HANDS WITH INTER MILAN PRESIDENT AND CEO, GIUSEPPE MAROTTA, AND RECEIVING SOCCER SHIRT SAYING “LEO XIV”

9. POPE LEO POSING WITH DELEGATION