MEXICO CITY — Thousands of devoted soccer fans are descending on Mexico City’s Metropolitan Cathedral, hoping a little divine intervention might help their favorite teams win the World Cup. The draw? A figure of the baby Jesus dressed in the Mexican national team’s soccer uniform.
The tradition of dressing the baby Jesus in a Mexican soccer kit stretches back 55 years to the San Miguel Arcangel church, located in a low-income neighborhood of the city. That practice began in 1970, when Mexico first hosted the World Cup tournament. However, this year a newly assigned parish priest put a stop to it at that church, calling it disrespectful.
The ban sparked widespread outrage among fans, and some worried the decision could even hurt Mexico’s chances on the field. In response, the Metropolitan Cathedral — the country’s main cathedral — stepped in and put its own baby Jesus figure on display wearing the jersey of ‘El Tri,’ as the Mexican national team is known.
Canon Manuel Corral explained the significance of the move to Reuters. “It’s the first time it’s been here in the cathedral… the people themselves asked for it,” he said.
Corral also noted that the prayers being offered weren’t just from Mexican supporters. “Today, for example, we have Colombians here saying their prayers to ask for victory,” he said on Tuesday — the day before Colombia was set to face Uzbekistan at the Azteca stadium.
In Mexican Catholic tradition, it is common to dress baby Jesus figures in different outfits to represent various blessings — as a pilgrim for safe travels, or as a doctor to bring good health, for example.
On Tuesday, the figure was dressed in a white jersey and green shorts, resembling the kit that co-host Mexico was scheduled to wear in their Thursday match against South Korea in Guadalajara. The figure will remain on display in the cathedral’s atrium and other areas throughout the entire tournament, no matter how Mexico performs.
Visitors from Argentina, Colombia, Spain, Mexico, and other nations have stopped to take photos with the figure or offer up prayers for their home countries.
Not everyone, however, was comfortable with the display. Mexican fan Eleazar Martinez, who arrived at the cathedral just before noon on Tuesday, shared his reservations. “As a Catholic it’s very strange for me to see the baby Jesus dressed like that. I don’t really agree with it,” he said.
