{"id":36894,"date":"2026-07-18T03:51:37","date_gmt":"2026-07-17T22:21:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/argentinas-world-cup-title-run-becomes-a-moment-of-faith-for-fans-players-and-clergy\/"},"modified":"2026-07-18T03:51:37","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T22:21:37","slug":"argentinas-world-cup-title-run-becomes-a-moment-of-faith-for-fans-players-and-clergy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/argentinas-world-cup-title-run-becomes-a-moment-of-faith-for-fans-players-and-clergy\/","title":{"rendered":"Argentina’s World Cup title run becomes a moment of faith for fans, players and clergy"},"content":{"rendered":"


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S\u00c3O PAULO, Brazil (RNS) \u2014 As Argentina\u2019s national team advanced in the World Cup, spiritual beliefs have become increasing visible among many soccer fans in the South American nation. Now that the team is just one match away from the championship \u2014 it will face Spain in the final on Sunday (July 19) \u2014 faith appears to be playing a central role in the way people have been cheering for the national squad.<\/p>\n

Catholicism, the dominant religion in the country, has steadily declined. It was the faith of an estimated 90% of the population in 1960,<\/a> and now about 60% of Argentines<\/a> identify as Catholic. But symbols and practices associated with Catholicism continue to play a fundamental role in the world of soccer.<\/p>\n

Some priests see a missionary opportunity in the team\u2019s success.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cMany players on the national team openly express their Christian faith,\u201d Father Andr\u00e9s Rodr\u00edguez of the Archdiocese of C\u00f3rdoba told Religion News Service. \u201c(Lionel) Messi, for instance, constantly makes the sign of the cross and says he has received everything from God.\u201d<\/p>\n

A video posted by Rodr\u00edguez on social media became popular<\/a> in Argentina during the tournament\u2019s final week. Speaking directly to the camera, he said he knew viewers have \u201cprayed for the national team,\u201d many of them with an image of the Virgin Mary next to their TV and a rosary in their hands.<\/span>\u00a0He then urged them to go to Mass.<\/p>\n

\u201cCome to Mass. Come. It only takes a little while. Come to Mass and give thanks for everything God has given you. God is listening to you. Pray for Argentina, for those most in need, for the sick. Come to Mass,\u201d he said in a playful tone.<\/p>\n

Rodr\u00edguez, a member of the Piarist order dedicated primarily to education, came up with the idea of recording the clip after Argentina defeated Egypt<\/a> on July 7. The team was down 2-0 before scoring three goals to win the match. Messi said<\/a> afterward: \u201cGod had something prepared for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat phrase inspired me to make the video,\u201d the priest explained. \u201cThat\u2019s life: God always has something prepared for us. Then I decided to record something for my friends, with humor, inviting them to pray.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

In his opinion, expressions of faith have been more visible in Argentina now than during previous World Cups. The players brought an image of Our Lady of Luj\u00e1n \u2014 Argentina\u2019s patroness \u2014 to the tournament. Several players have tattoos of rosaries and other religious symbols, and many publicly have thanked God for their success.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen a soccer idol gives glory to God \u2014 as Enzo Fern\u00e1ndez often does \u2014 it has an enormous impact on children and teenagers,\u201d Rodr\u00edguez said.<\/p>\n

For the Catholic Church, he argued, this is the moment to bring more people back into the faith.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Father Luis Luj\u00e1n, who also ministers in C\u00f3rdoba, agreed. Known as Padre Lucho, he is an avid soccer fan and posted videos on social media showing that he was wearing Argentina\u2019s national team jersey beneath his cassock.<\/p>\n

Before Argentina faced England in the semifinal on July 15, Padre Lucho celebrated a \u201cmisa mundialera,\u201d or a World Cup Mass. Everyone in attendance, including the priest, wore the Argentine jersey and waved flags. The video<\/a> went viral across Latin America.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe thought it was the perfect moment to stay close to people and promote the values of the gospel. The national team is perfect for that,\u201d Padre Lucho told RNS.<\/p>\n

He said that, despite having Messi as the team\u2019s star, the Argentine squad is unified, with each player helping the others pursue a common goal.<\/p>\n

\u201cTogether, we can work toward very positive goals \u2014 that\u2019s something we can experience during the World Cup, and it makes more sense to many people than abstract dogmatic teachings,\u201d Padre Lucho said.<\/p>\n

He recalled the late Pope Francis also had a deep connection with soccer and frequently used sports metaphors. \u201cCuriously, when he was elected pope, his team, San Lorenzo, became champion,\u201d he said with a laugh.<\/p>\n

Gustavo Vera, an Argentine human rights activist and friend of Pope Francis, told RNS that the late pontiff would probably have celebrated the national team\u2019s style of play in this World Cup.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe would have appreciated their solidarity and the way they help one another on the field,\u201d Vera said.<\/p>\n

He emphasized that most players \u201clook up to the sky either in victory or in defeat and never forget to thank God.\u201d<\/p>\n

Father Lorenzo de Vedia, known as Padre Toto and one of Buenos Aires\u2019 best-known \u201ccuras villeros,\u201d or priests who pastor to those in slums, has been a soccer fan since childhood. His WhatsApp \u201cabout\u201d section reads: \u201cI hope there\u2019s soccer in heaven.\u201d<\/p>\n

Inspired by Father Carlos Mugica, the pioneer of the curas villeros movement who was killed by fascists in 1974, Padre Toto has combined soccer with his pastoral work among the poor.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn our parishes, we regularly play soccer and watch the matches together,\u201d he told RNS.<\/p>\n

Padre Toto lives in Villa 21-24, one of the largest slums in Buenos Aires. Some of Argentina\u2019s matches were screened in the church courtyard. \u201cPopular faith is like that: People pray for victory for their team. They don\u2019t separate the concrete realities of daily life from their spirituality,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Many Argentines also have devotional connections to folk saints, who have never been officially recognized by the Catholic Church. The best known is Gauchito Gil, a figure who originated in the northern province of Corrientes in the 19th century. Gauchito Gil is regarded as a miracle-working saint to whom people turn when they are in need.<\/p>\n\n\n

Luz Norman, a devotee of Gauchito Gil, has maintained a sanctuary in his honor in Buenos Aires for the past nine years. People visit it to pray and ask Gauchito Gil for favors.<\/p>\n

\u201cMany people have been praying for victories for our national team,\u201d she told RNS. \u201cI already knew we would defeat England.\u201d In her opinion, people have become more connected to the folk saint lately.<\/p>\n

Argentina\u2019s dramatic comebacks against Egypt and England have led many across the country to believe that something supernatural may indeed be happening with the national team.<\/p>\n

For followers of the Maradonian Church, a parody religion organized around the cult of late soccer legend Diego Armando Maradona, who died in 2020, the divine help received by Messi and his teammates may have come from D10S \u2014 a play on the Spanish word \u201cDios\u201d (God) and Maradona\u2019s No. 10 jersey \u2014 the nickname by which Maradona himself was known.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think many Argentines felt at some point that there had been some kind of celestial, divine or Maradonian help for Messi, making him appear almost like the greatest soccer player in history, Diego Armando Maradona,\u201d Alejandro Veron, one of the founders of the Maradonian Church, told RNS.<\/p>\n

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