Sports fans were surprised, Sunday, when Pope Francis tweeted out his support of the New Orleans Saints — entirely by accident.

Just prior to Sunday’s NFL slate kick off, the pope tweeted out his support for saints in a tweet where the pontiff wrote that we “give thanks to the Lord for our new #Saints.”

Unfortunately for Francis, when he (or his staffers) entered the hashtag saints, Twitter automatically added the tiny icon for the NFL’s New Orleans Saints.

Today we give thanks to the Lord for our new #Saints. They walked by faith and now we invoke their intercession. — Pope Francis (@Pontifex) October 13, 2019

Only a few hours later, the Saints toppled the Jacksonville Jaguars 13-6. With the near wipe-out in the books, many Saints fans thanked the pope for interceding for them for the big win.

Even the team jumped to Twitter to thank the pope for his inadvertent blessing.

“Couldn’t lose after this,” the Saints tweeted. “#Blessed and highly favored.”

Couldn't lose after this.#Blessed and highly favored 🙌⚜️ https://t.co/2BoE2oYGqF — New Orleans Saints (@Saints) October 13, 2019

Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston.