The post The Election of Pope Leo XIV Made News On Italian Open’s Centre Court appeared on BitcoinEthereumNews.com.

People stop to watch the newly elected pope displayed on a giant screen, within the ATP Rome Open … More tennis tournament at Foro Italico in Rome, Italy on May 8, 2025. Robert Francis Prevost was on May 8, 2025 elected the first pope from the United States, the Vatican announced. A moderate who was close to Pope Francis and spent years as a missionary in Peru, he becomes the Catholic Church’s 267th pontiff, taking the papal name Leo XIV. (Photo by PIERO CRUCIATTI / AFP) (Photo by PIERO CRUCIATTI/AFP via Getty Images) AFP via Getty Images When home favorite Fabio Fognini trailed 5-2 in his swansong at the Italian Open on Thursday, there was an announcement of far more global proportions. The big screen at the Campo Centrale court boomed out the news that Robert Prevost had become the new Pope to cheers from the crowd. Prevost, the first American elected to the papacy, took the name Leo XIV. As an avid player of the sport, he couldn’t have timed his entrance any better. Fognini is a 37-year-old veteran of the ATP Tour and received a wildcard to the Masters 1000 event in Rome. Just before his match with Great Britain’s Jacob Fearnley, white smoke rose from the Sistine Chapel to signal the changing of the guard at the Vatican. During the warm-up, Fognini asked the umpire if the new Pope was announced as crowds gathered outside the stadium to watch the images in St. Peter’s Square. Although he lost 6-2, 6-3 to Fearnley, the match will linger like the white smoke which signified the beginning of the end of an 18-year tennis journey. “If I look back, I have really good memories, but it’s a page that’s finished. I am almost 38, I have a beautiful family. Now…

---

Filed under: News - @ May 9, 2025 2:21 pm