The Church of England takes on Vatican's challenge to settle the two churches split up 500 years ago in a game of cricket, according to a Reuters report.
The 'Holy War' of cricket challenge was formally accepted by the Church of England last Friday, December 20, the report said.
The Vatican formed what it calls the St. Peter's Cricket Club last October. The club is a league composed of teams of priests and seminarians from different Catholic colleges and seminaries in Rome. It will be made up of seminarians and priests in Rome from countries like India, Pakistan, Australia, England, Bangladesh, and New Zealand that have a strong cricket tradition.
The leagues' best players will form a Vatican team, which it called the "Vatican XI" and issued the challenge to the Church of England to form its own team.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, who heads the 80 million Anglican commuion worldwide, accepted the Vatican's challenge through Archbishop David Moxon, his representative to the Vatican.
Moxon said that they plan to hold the match in London at Lord's, the home of cricket sometime in September, once the Anglican side is able to put up a cricket team. He said that the Church of England's team will also be made up of priests and seminarians who will come from Lambeth Palace, the Archbishop of Canterbury's residence, and nearby theological schools.
"It will introduce a conversation piece all over the world whenever Catholics and Anglicans get together," Moxon told Reuters after being asked if the planned cricket match could help improve the dialogue between the two Churches. "I think it can only do good and increase the bonds of affection we have for each other."
John McCarthy, Australia's ambassador to the Vatican, was responsible for the idea of starting a Catholic cricket club. He wanted something similar to the Clericus Cup, a soccer tournament among clerics of Rome, to take place.
When asked where the game practices will take place, McCarthy said, "I would suggest that at least on one occasion there would be batting practice in front of St Peter's Basilica."
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