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(VATICAN CITY, Reuters) -
Pope Francis, a great soccer fan, received an unusual gift from the Prime Minister of France on Monday: a shirt signed by Argentine soccer player Lionel Messi, a compatriot of the pontiff.
Jean Castex gave the pope the shirt with the number 30 framed in glass and signed by Messi, who plays for Paris Saint-Germain, after 35 minutes of private conversations in the Vatican.
84-year-old Francisco met Messi, once calling him one of the greatest soccer players of all time.
The pope is a lifelong fan of the Buenos Aires club San Lorenzo de Almagro.
The French Prime Minister also gave the Pope a more traditional gift: an 1836 edition of "Notre-Dame de Paris," Victor Hugo's classic novel about the hunchbacked bell ringer Quasimodo set in 1482 Paris.
Pope Francis says he will "continue to be a plague" on social justice issues
Castex was visiting the Vatican and Rome for the centenary celebrations of the restoration of diplomatic relations between France and the Holy See.
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After meeting with the pope, Castex toured the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Basilica.
Lionel Messi, Pope Francis