Pope Francis’ private message to Brendan Rodgers that ‘didn’t transcend’ to Celtic fans

Brendan Rodgers led his Celtic side to a private audience with the Pope in 2023 as the supreme pontiff – who passed away aged 88 on Monday – offered up a private message

Brendan Rodgers once joked that Pope Francis’ declaration to his Celtic team that ‘winning or losing doesn’t matter’ wouldn’t go down well in Glasgow.

The 88-year-old – who died on Monday – served as the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State for over 12 years before his death.

During his time as the figurehead for the Church, he had arrange an audience with the Scottish giants at the Vatican after their 2-0 Champions League loss to Lazio in December 2023. Describing it as the fulfilment of a lifetime ambition, Rodgers presented the pontiff with a personalised Celtic kit signed by the playing squad.