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MEXICO CITY — The Vatican’s Congregation for the Causes of Saints has formally designated the Niño Dios Futbolero, or “Soccer Baby Jesus” — a wooden effigy of the infant Jesus dressed in an infant-sized Mexico national team jersey — as an official site of Catholic pilgrimage, placing it in the same devotional tier as the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, according to a decree read aloud today inside the Mexico City Metropolitan Cathedral.
The iconic figure represents a tradition which has been observed since Mexico hosted its first World Cup in 1970, with the Soccer Baby Jesus occupying an altarfront perch at the Metropolitan Cathedral since a parishioner donated it for this year’s World Cup “for protection during the group stage.”
The effigy has drawn an estimated 40,000 visitors in the past 10 days alone, a surge Cathedral officials attribute to Mexico’s successful run during the tournament. Church staff has added a second velvet kneeler to accommodate increasing demand in the lead-up to the round of 16 knockout game against England.
“We do not take this designation lightly,” said Monsignor Álvaro Reyes, who oversees pilgrimage certifications for the Diocese. “The Virgin of Guadalupe appeared once, in 1531, and changed the spiritual course of a nation. The Niño Dios Futbolero, meanwhile, has inspired Mexico to four straight victories,” infusing the country with a sense of sacred purpose.
Souvenir vendors outside the Cathedral have adapted quickly, offering rosaries in the green, white and red of the national kit alongside traditional Guadalupe candles, with several stalls reporting the jersey rosary now outsells the classic model two to one. One vendor, who has sold devotional items outside the Cathedral for years, said she has never seen anything like it. “People used to come here to ask for health, for family and for safe travel,” she said. “Now they come to ask for a clean sheet against England. I don’t judge. I just restock.”
By Friday, the Vatican had approved a limited liturgical calendar adjustment allowing the Soccer Baby Jesus a feast day to be observed on the day before any World Cup elimination match involving Mexico.
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