Sunderland AFC chaplain Father Marc heading to meet the pope with gift of a customised Leo 14 shirt
Father Marc is planning on giving the Sunderland AFC shirt to the pope on Wednesday September 16, the same day the Black Cats kick-off their Europa cup campaign against AZ Alkmaar .
Sunderland AFC club chaplain Father Marc Lyden-Smith has said he will ask the pope to say a prayer for the Black Cats foray into Europe as part of their Europa League campaign when he hands over the gift of a custom made SAFC home shirt.
The club has given Marc the shirt which displays Pope Leo 14 on the back, signifying he is the 14th head of the Catholic Church named Leo.
In 2013, Father Marc was pictured handing over a Sunderland AFC shirt to the previous pope, Pope Francis.
Speaking ahead of his visit to the Vatican on Wednesday (September 16), the same day the Black Cats kick-off their Europa cup campaign against AZ Alkmaar, Father Marc said: “Pope Francis was from Argentina and was a big football fan. His team was San Lorenzo.
“I gave him the Sunderland AFC shirt back in 2013 on the day before we played Newcastle United. He blessed the shirt and the next day we won the game.”
Pope Leo was appointed as head of the catholic church in May last year (2025), after the death of Pope Francis, becoming the first pope from the USA.
Father Marc, who has been SAFC club chaplain for14 years and recently penned a book entitled Faith and Football, said: “Pope Leo is a big sports fan, and being from the USA baseball is the main sport he follows, although he also plays tennis three times a week. However, he developed a love of soccer as he calls it during his time working in Peru.”
Father Marc is visiting Rome as part of a pilgrimage with parishioners where he hopes to meet Pope Leo and pass on the shirt during his weekly Wednesday Papal Audience where he greets pilgrims and offers blessings. As a catholic priest, Father Marc can has also applied to attend the Pope’s daily mass which takes place every day at 6am.
The shirt was passed on to Father Marc by SAFC’s chief operating officer, Paul Kingsmore, during a talk about his book to the Senior Sunderland Supports Association at the Stadium of Light.
On what he plans to say to the pope when he hands over his customised shirt, Father Marc said: “I will say to him that I’m passing on this shirt on behalf of the people of Sunderland, wish him well, and ask him to say a prayer for us as we embark on our European adventure in the Europa League.”