Church of England vs. the Vatican - the rematch

17/07/2015

Archbishop Justin Welby with the Vatican XI in Rome, 15 June 2014.

Clerical attire will again be swapped for cricket whites when the Vatican and the Church of England cricket teams face each other for a second time later this year.

The two teams squared off at Kent County Cricket Ground in Canterbury last September in a historic match to raise money to tackle slavery and human trafficking.

The match was played in front of a 1000-strong crowd, including Archbishop Justin Welby and the Papal Nuncio. The Anglican side eventually triumphed after a close and thrilling match.

Now the Vatican has invited the same team to Rome in October for a rematch.

A Church of England side will travel to Rome on Wednesday 21 October, where it is expected they will meet Pope Francis.

The match itself – Twenty20 – will take place on Saturday 24 October, coinciding with the conclusion of the Roman Catholic Church’s Synod on the Family.

Last year's match, which raised money for the Global Freedom Network against modern slavery and human trafficking, saw the Archbishop's XI lift the trophy after beating the Vatican side by six wickets with five balls to spare.

The Anglican victory was announced in a jubilant, but entirely sporting, tweet from the Lambeth Palace Twitter account:

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