Reuters
 
Rome, Feb 21: It is sometimes said that Italy has two main religions - Catholicism and football. Now the two will come together when the country, the current holder of the World Cup, hosts the first international championship for student priests.
The "Clericus Cup" will see teams from Rome's many seminaries battling it out with amateur football players from 50 nations taking part.

The tournament kicks off on Saturday with a team mostly made up of Brazilians taking on a largely Mexican side. The final is scheduled for the end of June.

"We want to raise the awareness of current and future leaders of parishes and Church communities of the educational and pastoral importance of sport," said Edio Costantini, head of the Italian Sporting Centre which is organising the event.

The priestly scholars will be expected to apply the usual levels of football fair play, but, for those who don't, a Catholic level of forgiveness may be allowed.

The tournament will use a "blue card" to send off players who foul. They can return to the field after a five minutes cooling off period when they can reflect on what they have done.