St. Peter’s Cricket Club, the official cricket team of Vatican, is making waves with its unique composition and aspirations.
The team, formed in 2014, has undergone a significant transformation. At present the comprises entirely of Keralite priests and seminarians
Initially started as an ecumenical initiative with the Anglicans, the Vatican Cricket Team has expanded to play teams outside the religious sphere.
Inspired by Pope Francis, who in his first year championed the value of sport as a means of fostering dialogue, the club was formed with the aim of strengthening ties with countries and maintaining brotherhood through cricket.
Former team member Fr. Anil Ottakunel said that most members of the team are Indians. This stems from the fact that most of the priests and brothers in Rome are from India or the state of Kerala.
“There were years when it used to be 98 percent Malayalis and 1-2 from other countries,” he said.
At the time of his coming back to India he had participated in a four – match tournament in Malta.
On Friday, St Peter’s Cricket Club will mark a historic milestone as it plays its first international match.
The competition titled Journey to the Light of Faith, will see the Vatican team competing against England at Wormsley Estate.
“It is a sort of an Evangelisation. It’s also more about forming connections with people”, Fr. Jose Eettulli, present captain of the team, told the newindianexpress. com.
For Fr. Jose, who hails from Changanassery, it’s an enriching experience. It is his seventh year in the team and he has been to Portugal, Kenya, Argentina and many more countries for tournaments. It is his third time in England and he said that they take the tournament seriously but it also serves a greater purpose.
“It is the first time we have an all Malayali team. We have always had mostly Indians in the team with two from England, one from Australia, one from Sri Lanka, three from Pakistan and one from Canada in different years.”