VATICAN

Pope Francis, who is 84, has shown that indeed all work without play makes people dull, after trying out some table football at the Vatican.

Francis has been the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 2013.

Born in football-loving Argentina, the octogenarian played table football, also known as table soccer and foosball, against Natale Tonini of the Tuscany table football amateur association.

This was on the sidelines of his weekly audience at The Vatican.

Who won the match, you ask? Well, let's just say it was a balanced contest.

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Meanwhile, Pope Francis said getting the coronavirus vaccine was "an act of love" Wednesday, as he joined a campaign to boost confidence in COVID-19 jabs.

Below, he is pictured walking in the Paul VI hall as he arrived for his weekly general audience on Wednesday in the Vatican.

The faithful were delighted to see him - and he warmly greeted them.

"Thanks to God and to the work of many, we now have vaccines to protect us from COVID-19," Francis said in a message for the US-based It's Up to You initiative.

"They grant us the hope of ending the pandemic, but only if they are available to all and if we work together," he said in the video, aimed at communities disproportionately affected by the virus in North, Central and South America.

Pope Francis is the head of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics.

Here, his face lit up as he spoke during his weekly general audience in the Paul VI hall in the Vatican.

"Being vaccinated... is an act of love," said Francis.