The England and Wales Cricket Board has reportedly apologised for a social media post by the @englandcricket account, where a joke was made of Pope Francis’ Ash Wednesday message to the public.
The critically ill Pope, 88, wrote on his @Pontifex account: ‘The #Ashes remind us of who we are, which does us good. It puts us in our place, smooths out the rough edges of our narcissism, brings us back to reality, and makes us more humble and open to one another. None of us is God; we are all on a journey. #Lent.’
The message was re-posted by the @englandcricket account on Wednesday, who added: ‘Even @Pontifex loves the Ashes.’
The post was quickly taken down after heavy backlash, and an apology was issued thereafter.
An ECB spokesperson reportedly told The Telegraph: ‘This was an ill-judged post and was swiftly deleted. We apologise for any offence.’
Fans on social media had mixed opinions on the ill-timed joke, with some labelling it ‘offensive’, while others simply saw it as a harmless quip.
The ECB has reportedly apologised for an offensive social media post towards Pope Francis
The Pope sent his annual Ash Wednesday message to the public on his @Pontifex account
Fans shared their thoughts on social media, offering mixed reactions to the now-deleted post
One fan wrote on X: ‘Not great from @englandcricket.’
Another asked: ‘It’s a joke, what’s wrong with a bit of satire?’
A third said: ‘Embarrassing and offensive.’
The Pope has been hospitalised since February 14, due to double pneumonia and a complex lung infection. The Vatican report that he is in stable condition and undergoing physical therapy, though his prognosis remains unguarded.
In their daily evening update on the health of the Pontiff, the Holy Press Office recently announced that Francis is stable, alert and without fever.
But in a worrying update on Monday evening, the Pope had suffered two ‘respiratory crises’ caused by a significant amount of mucus accumulation in his lungs.
Following the episodes, doctors at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital decided to put the Pontiff back on mechanical ventilation to help his breathing.
But Pope Francis ‘slept well’ on his eighteenth night in hospital recovering from bronchitis which developed into double pneumonia.
