The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has deleted a social media post and apologised for any potential offence after joking that the Pope “loves the Ashes”.
On Ash Wednesday the Pope, who has been in hospital for 3 weeks, said on X, “The Ashes remind us of who we’re, 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 at least one one other. None of us is God; we’re all on a journey.”
The ECB responded to the post saying, “Even @Pontifex loves The Ashes.” A spokesman for the ECB later apologised for the “ill-judged” post, which was also deleted.
The Ashes of Christianity
Traditionally on Ash Wednesday many Christians place ash on their brow in the form of a cross. This marks the start of the period of Lent leading as much as Easter. The ashes are a reminder of mortality and the words in Genesis that man got here from the dust and must return to the dust.
The ashes may also be an indication that one belongs to Jesus, as they’re marked on the brow (as in Revelation) and an emblem of mourning or repentance.
The Ashes of Cricket
The Ashes is the name given to a series of test matches between England and Australia. Its name derives from a newspaper column commenting on Australia’s first ever win in England in 1882, by which it was stated, “the body [of English cricket] shall be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia”.
The Ashes is sort of possibly the oldest sporting rivalry on the earth, dating back because it does, arguably to 1877 when the primary test match was played in Melbourne.
It can be quite possibly essentially the most healthful sporting rivalry on the earth. While fiercely contested by either side, there are not any dark historical undertones to it, as may be the case with say, England vs Germany or England vs Argentina in football or India vs Pakistan in cricket.
