Athletica Vaticana to compete in European Cycling Championship
Athletica Vaticana, the “pope’s team”, is preparing for its imminent participation in the European Cycling Championship in Belgium, less than two weeks before Pope Francis’ apostolic trip to the country.
By Deborah Castellano Lubov
Athletica Vaticana, or “the Pope’s team” as it is sometimes called, will compete in the European Cycling Championships on Sunday, September 15, in the Belgian province of Limburg, Flanders.
Pope Francis will be in Belgium from September 26 to 29 and, as indicated in a press release, his team will promote a proposal for fraternal, inclusive and supportive peace in the heart of Europe wounded by war.
“The Pope’s Team”
This is the third time that the Pope’s team has participated in the World Championships, after its debut at the 2022 edition in Australia, then at the 2023 edition in Scotland.
This is the first participation in the European Championship for the Vatican Cycling Federation within the framework of Athletica Vaticana.
Its departure is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. and the course measures 222 kilometers with cobbled sections.
Time of prayer and faith
On Saturday, September 14, the Vatican cyclists will embrace the Catholic community, a point of reference for people living in fragile and poor conditions.
The team will be welcomed by Bishop Patrick Hoogmarten of Hasselt.
During the Holy Mass, celebrated in the Saint-Quentin Cathedral, prayers will be said in particular for all cyclists, professionals and amateurs, and for sport to always be an experience of peace.
Also commemorated in particular will be the apostolic journey of Pope Saint John Paul II in 1995 on the occasion of the beatification of the missionary Damian de Veuster, who lived in the 19th century among the lepers of the island of Molokai, originally from the very land that hosts the European Cycling Championships.
