In what was one of the more bizarre things to happen yesterday, Andy Burnham met the Pope and gave him a Manchester United shirt.
And people were, understandably, quite puzzled by the whole thing.
It goes without saying that if you were one of several thousand people who saw the now-viral pictures of the Mayor of Greater Manchester meeting the head of the worldwide Catholic Church yesterday in the Vatican, then it’s only natural you’d probably questioning as to why.
Especially when you throw into the mix the fact the Pope was also given a signed and framed Manchester United shirt of Argentinian defender Lisandro Martínez as a gift.
But despite the public confusion, there was actually a very good reason as to why Andy Burnham was joined by several of Greater Manchester‘s other civic leaders and members of the faith community as he met Pope Francis in the Vatican City yesterday – and it was all to pledge a commitment to tackling climate change ahead of Earth Day 2023.
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Burnham and the other leaders were given the chance to discuss with the Pope how Greater Manchester is making efforts to tackle the climate crisis.
They then also made a formal commitment in his presence on the action they pledge to take in future.
Greater Manchester faith and civic leaders have gathered at the Vatican this morning to meet with Pope Francis. They will discuss how Gtr Manchester is tackling climate change and pledge commitments for the future. Full story here: https://t.co/Z1G4oMhiJI#OurFaithOurPlanetpic.twitter.com/izygDfgOQV
The group was led by Bishop of Salford John Arnold and Dean of Manchester Rogers Govender, and as well as Burnham, was also made up of the Lord Mayor of Manchester Donna Ludford, Bishop of Manchester David Walker, Gorton MP Mohammed Afzal Kahn, and Chair of the Manchester Climate Change Partnership Mike Wilton.
City Centre Methodist Minister Reverend Ian Rutherford, Rabbi Robyn Ashworth Steen from the Manchester Reform Synagogue, environmental officers from both the Diocese of Manchester and Salford, and members of the Sikh and Hindu communities also attended.
This is why Andy Burnham met the Pope and gave him a Manchester United shirt / Credit: Andy Burnham (via Twitter)
“This is the first time that all the faith leaders of Greater Manchester have come together with civic leaders to agree our pledge for a greener Greater Manchester region,” Mayor Andy Burnham explained after the meeting yesterday,
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“It will give me great pride to be at The Vatican to witness the historic moment our faith and civic leaders make our commitment to the Holy Father.”
Although the reason as to why he was given a signed Manchester United shirt as a gift hasn’t exactly been confirmed, the fact Pope Francis is also from Argentina just like Lisandro Martínez, this does give some context.
Gracias al @ManUtd y @AndyBurnhamGM por entregarle mi camiseta a su santidad el papa Francisco, por quien siento un gran respeto y un orgullo enorme como argentino! 🙏🏼♥️ pic.twitter.com/EqK868eixe
Martínez said of the meeting on Twitter: “Thanks to Manchester United and Andy Burnham for giving my shirt to His Holiness Pope Francis, for whom I feel great respect and enormous pride as an Argentine.”
He was apparently also given a Manchester City shirt as well, probably for a bit of equal representation, although this detail didn’t go quite as viral, and it hasn’t been confirmed which player’s name was on the back of the shirt.
Featured Image – Manchester Cathedral
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UK passes bill to ban everyone born after 2008 from smoking in ‘historic’ moment
Emily Sergeant
In what is described as being a ‘historic moment’, the UK has now passed a bill to ban everyone born after 2008 from ever buying tobacco products.
It’s been a long time coming, but the final draft of the landmark Tobacco and Vapes Bill completed its journey through the Houses of Commons and Lords yesterday (21 April 2026), and is now on its way to receiving royal assent to officially become the law.
For those unfamiliar, the Tobacco and Vapes Bill will stop people who were born on or after 1 January 2009 from ever taking up smoking.
It will also give Government ministers new powers to regulate tobacco, vaping, and nicotine products – including their flavours and packaging, which make them more appealing to younger generations.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting has hailed the bill’s passing as a ‘historic moment for the nation’s health’ on the road to creating a smoke-free generation.
The UK has passed a bill to ban everyone born after 2008 from smoking / Credit: Lil Artsy (via Pexels)
“Children in the UK will be part of the first smoke-free generation, protected from a lifetime of addiction and harm,” Mr Streeting said after the bill was passed this week.
“Prevention is better than cure. This reform will save lives, ease pressure on the NHS, and build a healthier Britain.”
The ban on purchasing tobacco products for those born after 2008 was first mooted by Rishi Sunak’s Conservative Government a number of years back, but was eventually shelved ahead of the 2024 General Election, and then revived again by Labour when they took power.
The bill’s passing parliament has been welcomed by charities and campaign groups – most notably Cancer Research UK.
“This is a historic achievement that will shield our children from the devastating grip of tobacco addiction and help to put an end to cancers caused by smoking,” concluded Michelle Mitchell, who is the Chief Executive Officer at Cancer Research.
Featured Image – Pxhere
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The route for the 2027 Tour de France Femmes revealed ahead of Manchester debut
Danny Jones
The route for next year’s women’s historic Tour de France has been announced, with some of the best riders in the world set to pass through Greater Manchester and more.
Yet another big coup for the region and our sporting scene.
Speaking with the City Council, now that the full route has been revealed, our very own Dame Sarah Storey joined many in celebrating another huge moment for us; the female Tour de France is not just back up and running, but aiming to become bigger than ever.
🚴♀️ The world’s best cyclists are heading to Manchester! 🚴♀️
The routes for the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift 2027 have now been revealed, with Manchester set to host the Stage One finish on Friday 30 July and the Stage Two start on Saturday 31 July. pic.twitter.com/OMMlhdorqP
— Manchester City Council (@ManCityCouncil) April 21, 2026
The Stockport-born swimmer turned Team GB cyclist and multi-Olympic gold medallist knows all about what makes this particular sport special, having swapped a previous and highly successful career for an entirely different discipline.
As has now been fully confirmed, the 2027 Grand Départ will be getting underway with our friends in Leeds, before heading through Yorkshire and into Greater Manchester.
Upon entering our neck of the woods, the course will pass through the likes of Rochdale and Oldham into Manchester city centre, before heading into Stockport and neighbouring North West county, Derbyshire, and finally heading back through the Peaks.
Spread across two incredible days, the race itself will finish in Sheffield, with another UK first happening down in London, as the capital will also host the inaugural team time trial held in this country.
You can see the official event’s breakdown of what locations feature in which stages of ‘The Big Loop’ in more detail below.
Leader of Manchester City Council, Bev Craig, went on to add: “Being able to watch the world’s best cyclists in action and in such an iconic event, taking place right here on our doorstep in the heart of Manchester next summer, is going to be epic on so many levels.
“Championing women and girls to participate in and enjoy sports – including cycling – at all levels from entry through to elite, is really important to us and next year’s Tour de France Femmes is set to play a huge part in helping inspire the next generation of sporting talent from our city.
“With millions of spectators expected to line the routes, including here in the city centre, we’ll be going all out to help ensure the event’s success with what is set to be a ‘Tour takeover’ of the city to maximise opportunities for local people and businesses to get involved, to grow their own sporting skills, and to take part in the many community activities being planned.”
Having hosted everything from the BRITs and the MOBO Awards to another Super League Grand Finals in both netball and rugby, not to mention numerous other huge events over the past couple of years, it truly is a great time to be living in Greater Manchester.
Emily Sergeant -
21st April 2023 
