If Jesus were a football fan, who would he be rooting for in Sunday’s Super Bowl?
Who knows, but the archbishops of Boston and Seattle know where they stand.
Boston Archbishop Richard G. Henning is firmly for the New England Patriots. And Seattle Archbishop Paul D. Etienne is squarely in the Seahawks camp.
Ahead of Super Bowl LX on Sunday, the two clergymen have bet a $500 bet that their teams will raise the championship trophy after the Feb. 8 game.
Whoever pays up, the money will go to Catholic Charities Immigrant Services in the winning team’s city.
While both acknowledge that people are living in “extraordinary times,” they also believe that sports brings people together, the Boston archdiocee said in a statement Friday.
“It is important that we are very mindful of the difficult, painful, and traumatic events of recent weeks and months that are playing out across the country,” the archdiocese said. “That said, sports can be a unifier and bring people and communities together with the Super Bowl being the most watched event annually in the United States.”
The archdiocese is also grateful for the longtime support of the Patriots organization.
Team owner Robert Kraft, along with wide receiver DeMario Douglas and former players Devon McCourty and Matthew Slater, are “very engaged” in the Archdiocese of Boston, Catholic schools and other entities, the statement said said.
“And of course, we are very confident that the Patriots will prevail and bring back their 7th Super Bowl win!” the archdiocese said.
Adam Sennott can be reached at adam.sennott@globe.com.