"Pope Francis asked us to leave the convents, and we did so with a soccer ball in hand." Sister Silvia Carboni, born in 1974 in Assemini, a missionary and passionate soccer player, smiles as she recalls this. Because that phrase, uttered almost as a joke in front of the Pope, tells the story of the Italian national soccer team of nuns: a team founded in 2021, now composed of 22 nuns from 18 different congregations, which tours Italy with a ball, a sports bag, and a mission: to play soccer to meet people, share stories, raise funds, break down prejudices, and speak, through sport, about inclusion and solidarity.
The story. Before taking their vows, they were already playing soccer. Their passion remained, even when life took a different path. So today you might see a nun in her forties donning shorts and soccer shoes and returning to what she did before entering the convent. "Soccer has always been a tool for unity, cohesion, and inclusion," says coach Moreno Buccianti, who founded the team five years ago. "Today, we take to the field primarily for charitable initiatives and to raise awareness on issues like gender-based violence and the protection of the most vulnerable."
The story begins a long time ago. In 2005, Buccianti founded the National Priests' Team, bringing together priests of different nationalities who shared a passion for football. The idea of a women's team remained on the back burner for a long time. Then came 2021, the pandemic, and, paradoxically, the time to search for players. "I started scouting on social media and through parishes," continues Buccianti, who gives instructions to her sisters from the sidelines. "At the first gathering in Rome, I had eight sisters. Since then, the team has grown to 10 p.m. today."
The testimony . Among them is Sister Silvia, a Rossoblù fan, who has a deep connection with football. "I even played with the national team at the Olympic Stadium, and from the heights of football we reached the divine level, meeting the Pope." The memory of Francis is one of her favorites. "He asked us: 'Who are you?' We replied: 'The nuns' national football team.' And he said: 'I was missing this!' Then I told him: 'Actually, it's his fault: a few years ago—it was 2015—he told us to leave the convents, and we did it with the ball in our hands.'"
A joke that has almost become the team's manifesto. Because those jerseys and shorts are now a message: "With the nuns' national soccer team project," Sister Silvia proudly says, "we want to break down stereotypes and prejudices within and outside the Church." An experience, she adds, "of the Church, intercongregational apostolate, for which we tour all of Italy."
The day . Yesterday was the last event featuring the sisters of the national team. The ball also reached the walls of the Juvenile Correctional Institution in Quartucciu, where the nuns met with the youth along with the Glories of women's soccer. Jerseys, shorts, and boots: on one side the nuns, on the other the youth of the Institute.
All around in the stands were prison police, staff, and fellow nuns. Round two was held in the afternoon. At the Crai Sport Center, soccer returned to the field with a four-team tournament featuring the newly formed Cagliari Women team, the Glorie del calcio donne (Glories of Women's Soccer), the Italian National Nuns team, and a delegation of Sardinian journalists. It was a special day to celebrate Sister Silvia's 25th anniversary of religious life and the 25th anniversary of the Emmaus community for minors in Elmas, which she directs. "But soccer remains the means, not the end," concluded coach Buccianti.
From Sardinia to Madagascar, where a project involves around 200 young people through a soccer school, the national team continues to connect matches and solidarity. And while they look for new players to expand a roster that changes every game, one simple rule remains: when you step onto the field, for a few hours, you put your clothes aside. And you play. Together.