The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has apologised for a social media submit that joked the hospitalised Pope Francis “loves the Ashes”, stories mentioned.
“This was an ill-judged post and was swiftly deleted. We apologise for any offence,” the BBC quoted an ECB spokesperson as saying.
A message on the X account of the 88-year-old Pope, who has been in hospital for practically three weeks with pneumonia, was posted to mark Ash Wednesday.
“The Ashes remind us of who we are, which does us good,” the submit mentioned.
According to the BBC and The Telegraph, the England Cricket account wrote in reply: “Even @Pontifex loves The Ashes.”
The submit has since been deleted.
The Ashes in cricket is the high-profile Test sequence between nice rivals England and Australia.
Pope Francis missed the formal Ash Wednesday celebrations in Rome marking the beginning of Lent, however took half in a blessing within the non-public suite reserved for popes on the tenth flooring of Rome’s Gemelli hospital.
The Pope recorded and launched an audio message on Thursday thanking those that have been praying for his restoration, his voice breathless.
Published – March 07, 2025 11:43 am IST
