Rome, Italy, October 6, 2010 - "This World Championship is very important for Italy." This is what His Holiness Benedict XVI told FIVB President Jizhong Wei when they met at the audience in St Peter's Square on Wednesday.

An FIVB delegation consisting of President Wei, 2nd Executive Vice President Theofanis Tsiokris and Executive Vice Presidents Ary Graça and Marta Centeno O. De Sajche joined members of the FIVB Men's World Championship 2010 Organising Committee – General Manager Francesco Ghirelli, FIPAV President Carlo Magri, Technical Director Renato Arena – in the public audience which takes place every Wednesday.

Mr Wei and Mr Tsiokris gave the Pope a commemorative medal and an official Volleyball, besides a small replica of the mascot 'Volly'. "It was an exciting moment,"  President Wei said. "I brought the greetings of the great international Volleyball family to the Pope, and he told me that this event is of great importance to Italy. He was surprised, too, to see that I'm Chinese," he added happily.

Benedict XVI received the medal and kept the Volleyball bearing the symbols of all the 10 cities where the World Championship is being played. "It's been a nice experience," Mr Tsiokris said. "I told the Pope that for Italy this is not the last event, and explained that here will take place also the 2011 Beach Volley World Championships and the Women's World Championship in 2014."

This was the second FIVB Men's World Championship audience, after that of 2009, when 300 children played Volleyball for the first time in St Peter's Square, with 16 minivolley courts set up, albeit in a way which showed due respect for the special location.