The second annual European soccer championship for clergy, the Champions Clerum, kicked off this week in Zagreb and Italy's priests hope the addition of Capuchin monks to their squad will boost its chances in the 10-nation tournament.
''We'll be relying on their experience,'' said Italy defender Leonardo Biancalana, who told Italian press agency ANSA that the friars have been playing for more than a decade while the priests hadn't formed their team until 2001.
''We only manage to get together twice a month, on Wednesdays and Saturdays, and often have to do without players because of a heavy load of marriages or baptisms,'' said Biancalana.
Host Croatia is defending champion, but Spain's ''Centellas'' (Sparks) entered the tournament as favorites even though their star player was sent on a missionary to Ecuador on the eve of the competition.
ANSA reported that Italy's players recite ''Our Father'' or ''Hail Mary'' before games because ''there is as yet no patron saint of soccer'' while Biancalana said, ''But some of our members like to ward off injury by having a word with St. Christopher.''