The St Peter’s Cricket club has so far attracted about 300 priests as well as students attending colleges associated with the Holy See, which is represented by people from 180 countries around the world, Italian media reported.

Part of the plan is to start an inter-college league, which will be used to recruit players for a Vatican national side.

Nuns will also be organized into teams, with the Vatican squad using the coat of arms of St Peter’s as a symbol.

"Sports are a powerful means to convey values, attitudes, a moral and ethical message," Monsignor Melchor Sanchez, honorary president of St. Peter's Cricket Club, told ANSA news agency.

The team from the Church of England, which broke away from the Vatican more than 400 years ago, is reported to be high on the list of the Vatican side’s desired opponents.

Matches will be played at a pitch near Ciampino Airport, which is already used by the Italian Cricket Team.

The Vatican, which sponsors sports through a special body, already has an annual football tournament for Catholic institutions, known as the Clericus Cup.