The England and Wales Cricket Board has apologised after deleting a social media post that made light of Pope Francis' 'love of the Ashes'.
The 88-year-old Pope, who has been in hospital since February after being diagnosed with double pneumonia, wrote on his X account on Wednesday: 'The #Ashes remind us of who we are, 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 one another. None of us is God; we are all on a journey. #Lent.'
The social media message was later re-posted by the official account of the England and Wales Cricket Board, who joked: 'Even @Pontifex loves the Ashes.'
The Ashes is a historic cricket competition played between bitter rivals England and Australia, with the next series due to be held Down Under from November this year.
The post sparked huge controversy and backlash on Wednesday afternoon and was subsequently deleted by the board, who have now since apologised for their actions.
An ECB spokesperson said: 'This was an ill-judged post and was swiftly deleted. We apologise for any offence.'
People were quick to point out the 'offensive' nature of the post both before and after its deletion.
One social media user wrote on X: 'Not great from @englandcricket.'
Another, agreeing, added: 'Embarrassing and offensive.'
There were individuals, however, who saw the England and Wales Cricket Board's post as a harmless quick.
Defending the post, one person said: 'It's a joke, what's wrong with a bit of satire?'
The Pope has been hospitalised since February 14 after suffering double pneumonia and a complex lung infection. The Vatican report that he is in a stable condition and undergoing physical therapy, though his prognosis remains unguarded.
In their daily evening update on the health of the Pontiff, the Holy Press Office recently announced that Francis is stable, alert and without fever.
As MailOnline reported on Thursday night, Pope Francis was heard speaking for the first time in an out-of-breath audio message for the first time since being hospitalised.
In a brief two-line audio message he expressed thanks 'from the bottom of my heart' to well-wishers around the world who have offered their support.
The message recorded at Rome's Gemelli hospital earlier today was played during a nightly prayer service for the Pope in St Peter's Square at the Vatican.
'I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your prayers in the Square for my health,' said the Pontiff, 88, speaking in his native Spanish, and pausing every few words to take a deep breath.
'May God bless you,' he adds.
The audio message came shortly after the Vatican said the Pope had remained stable on Thursday and did not have any new episodes of respiratory crisis.
In a sign of progress he continues treatment, the Pope's doctors said they would not issue another medical bulletin until Saturday, 'considering the stability of the clinical picture'.
