Rome (CNN) The Vatican canceled a friendly football match between its new women's team and a club in Vienna, after a number of Austrian players protested against the Catholic Church's stance on abortion.

The match, which was scheduled to take place Saturday at the Mariahilf football club in the Austrian capital, was called off after several Austrians lifted up their shirts to reveal pro-choice messages painted on their stomachs and backs while the countries' anthems were playing before kick-off.

One player wrote the slogan "my body my rules" on her back, according to images circulating on social media.

"Der Vatikan vertritt Werte, die gegen unsere Selbstbestimmung gehen. Das wollen wir nicht unkommentiert unterstützen." Fußballerinnen des FC Wien-Mariahilf zeigen vor dem Spiel gegen den FC Vatikan Symbole für das Abtreibungsrecht und Regenbogen.https://t.co/scvfSAqzoD pic.twitter.com/a9GNOzFcVZ — Michael Bonvalot (@MichaelBonvalot) June 22, 2019

Vatican News, the official news agency of the Vatican City, said that the match turned into a "protest against the Church." The tie was intended to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the club's founding.

"During the Vatican's anthem, some Austrian women raised their shirts, displaying writing on their stomachs and backs in favor of abortion, then sending pro-LGBT messages in opposition to the church's stance," the agency said. It added that politically charged banners were displayed in the stands.

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