Cricket

Pope Francis: ECB Sends Apology To Ailing Head Of Catholic Church For 'Ashes' Joke, Deletes Social Post

The England Cricket board's attempt at humour on social media in response to a message from Pope Francis has resulted in an apology from the cricket board

Pope-Francis-The-Vatican
Pope Francis has been battling double pneumonia Photo: AP
info_icon

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has been made to apologise to an already-deleted 'ill-judged' social media post on severely ill Pope Francis. (More Cricket News)

The post that said the Pope 'loves the Ashes' in response to an Ash Wednesday message from the 88-year-old who has been in hospital since February.

Pope Francis, who is hospitalized in Gemelli due to double pneumonia, sent a message via X on Tuesday to mark Ash Wednesday - the beginning of the holy season of Lent for the Catholic.

바카라œThe Ashes remind us of who we are, which does us good. 바카라œIt puts us in our place, smooths out the rough edges of our narcissism, brings us back to reality, and makes us more humble and open to one another. None of us is God; we are all on a journey," Pope Francis wrote.

While resharing the post, the ECB handle wrote, 바카라œEven @Pontifex loves the Ashes."

Ashes is a name given to cricket Test series played between England and Australia. The post has since been deleted.

바카라œThis was an ill-judged post and was swiftly deleted. We apologise for any offence," ECB said in a statement.

Speaking about the Pope, the 88-year-old has already suffered two respiratory attacks earlier this week on Monday.

바카라œToday, the Holy Father experienced two episodes of acute respiratory failure, caused by a significant accumulation of endobronchial mucus and consequent bronchospasm," the Vatican said in a statement.

On Thursday, the Pope released his first public statement since being hospitalized on February 14.

바카라œI thank you from the bottom of my heart for your prayers for my health from the Square, I accompany you from here. May God bless you and the Virgin protect you. Thank you," the pope said in a pre-recorded statement.

The Vatican will provide the next medical update on Pope Francis on Saturday.

Get the Latest Cricket News, Match Results, Schedule, Live Cricket Scores Today, and more at Outlook India.

To follow our special coverage of the Indian Premier League 2025, check IPL 2025 News, IPL Schedule, IPL Points Table, IPL 2025 Stats, Orange Cap, and Purple Cap leaderboards.

×