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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 sacred figure has a tradition dating back to the first World Cup Mexico hosted in 1970, but has become even more beloved during this year’s tournament “for offering protection during games.” Soccer Baby Jesus has drawn an estimated 40,000 visitors in the past 10 days alone, a surge Cathedral officials attribute to Mexico’s upcoming World Cup round of 16 matchup with England. Church staff has added a second velvet kneeler to accommodate demand.
“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 has led to four straight victories, and given the country new hope of finally making a deep tournament run.”
Reyes noted that the Vatican’s theological review committee had been on the case for mere days, ultimately concluding that while the statue’s miracles are “statistically inconclusive,” its attendance figures are not.
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. 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.”
The Basilica of Guadalupe, for its part, issued a brief statement welcoming the “healthy diversification of the nation’s devotional portfolio,” while noting it still holds the record for single-day visitation, a record Metropolitan Cathedral officials confirmed they are “not currently pursuing, but would not rule out.”
By Friday, the Vatican had approved a limited liturgical calendar adjustment allowing the Niño Dios Futbolero a feast day to be observed on the day before any World Cup elimination game involving Mexico.
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