While making a post about the saints, as in those in the Christian faith who are viewed as holy and close to God, Pope Francis accidentally tagged the NFL team. To make the timing worse, they had just fired their head coach.
The post from the Pope encouraged his followers to take lessons from the Catholic Saints, but because of the team’s recent firing of head coach Dennis Allen, the Pope’s use of “#Saints” featured the NFL team’s logo in his post.
“The #Saints are precious pearls and are always living and relevant, because they provide a fascinating commentary on the Gospel. Their lives are an illustration of the Good News that Jesus brought to humanity: God is our Father, who loves everyone with boundless love,” Pope Francis shared on X.
The black and gold fleur-de-lis, the logo for the Saints, automatically populates for the NFL team when using their name, phrases, or nicknames in a hashtag, just like with other NFL teams on X.
The post from the Pope sparked several light-hearted replies.
“Even the Pope is excited we fired Dennis Allen,” one user said.
“Losing to the Panthers was so bad that they had to call up the Pope,” another quipped.
One even said that the post might be a sign that the Saints “turn their season around.”
Pope Francis often posts scripture passages, reflections on his faith, and his thoughts on world events on his social media accounts. He has made a habit of doing so since he became the head of the Catholic church in 2013.