Pope Francis is trolled after inadvertently voicing support for NFL team again

Having fired head coach Dennis Allen amid the team's seven-game losing stream, the New Orleans Saints are in desperate need of a blessing – any blessing – to turn their miserable season around.

Fortunately, they have just the man for the job.

For the third time this week, a post on Pope Francis ' X account included the hashtag '#Saints,' thereby looping a number of the team's hopeful fans into his Holiness' social media feed.

'We cannot become #Saints with a frown,' read the post, which included the team's fleur-de-lis logo derived from New Orleans' French roots. 'We must have joyful hearts that remain open to hope.'

Two days earlier, another post from Francis' account featured the same hashtag.

'The #Saints are precious pearls and are always living and relevant, because they provide a fascinating commentary on the Gospel,' read the post. 'Their lives are an illustration of the Good News that Jesus brought to humanity: God is our Father, who loves everyone with boundless love.'

The team's X account even responded to another post that used that hashtag.

'Thank you for your prayers, Pontiff,' read the post, which included the image of team owner Gayle Benson presenting His Holiness with a team replica jersey. 'We need them.

As always, Pope Franchise received thousands of replies on his posts, only this time, they included a sizable portion of NFL enthusiasts.

One Houston Texans fan asked if his team could 'catch a blessing too,' while a New England supporter requested a blessing for the struggling Patriots 'in the upcoming draft.'

But the vast majority of responses came from Saints supporters, who quickly divided themselves between non-believers and converts.

'I'm sorry Pope but the #Saints will not go marching this year,' read one (potentially blasphemous) response.

Several pointed to the Saints' current cap situation as New Orleans' player payroll is currently slated to jump to $354 million in 2025 without some major roster moves.

'They need to fix the cap issue first, Pontifex,' one wrote, while another added: 'Can't be hopeful with that cap space.'

Others were more confident.

One fan revealed some newfound optimism following special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi's promotion to interim head coach: 'Now that Dennis Allen is gone we have hope again.'

And these weren't the first of Francis' social media posts to inadvertently reference the NFL's Saints.

'Today we give thanks to the Lord for our new #Saints,' read a 2019 post from the same account. 'They walked by faith and now we invoke their intercession.'

That day, the Saints pulled off a major upset without legendary quarterback Drew Brees by beating the Jacksonville Jaguars.

While the team is enjoying an uptick in social media exposure thanks to Pope Francis, the Saints' previous interactions with the Catholic Church haven't been received so well.

Saints media relations staff quietly helped the Archdiocese of New Orleans handle fallout from the church's child sex abuse scandals in 2018 and 2019. Since 2020, the team has fought to keep records of staff efforts secret, claiming in court files obtained by The Associated Press that relevant emails from 2018 and 2019 are not 'fodder for the public.'

The Saints are close to the local Archdiocese through owner Gayle Benson, who is a personal friend of New Orleans Archbishop Gregory Aymond. Benson has donated millions to local Catholic institutions and Aymond was by her side at her late husband's funeral.

In September, the Archdiocese of New Orleans offered abuse victims a $62 million settlement. A committee representing the survivors has proposed a $1 billion counter offer.