The Rev. Stefano Guidi, head of the Archdiocese of Milan’s Service for Oratories and Sport, addresses attendees during a concert at the church of Sant’Antonio Abate in Milan, Italy, on Feb. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/María Teresa Hernández)
MILAN (AP) – Days ahead of the Winter Paralympics, when disabled athletes will take center stage at the Milan Cortina Games, a choir from northern Italy performed a pop music concert inside Milan’s Sant’Antonio church, calling for harmony and inclusion — particularly of those with disabilities.
Around 70 teenagers and adults in the Terzo Tempo choir traveled from the neighboring city Abbiategrasso for their Feb. 18 performance, titled “Like Yeast in the Dough.” It drew on a Gospel image that reflects the project’s spirit: a discreet presence that helps anyone rise from within.
The choir’s concert in Milan formed part of the archdiocese’s strategy to seize the Olympic and Paralympic moment to impart Christian values.
“The Olympics and the Paralympics are not something that simply passes over our heads, but something that also touches our lives,” said the Rev. Stefano Guidi, who heads the Archdiocese of Milan’s Service for Oratories and Sport.
Milan’s Catholic Church created in 2021 a special branch that focuses on raising awareness of inclusion. Its work stretches through local parishes and communities, encouraging welcoming environments for everyone, disabled and non-disabled alike.
“If we focus on organizing things only for people with disabilities, we risk segregation,” said the Rev. Mauro Santoro, who leads the office alongside 13 volunteers. “Instead, we try to bring everyone together — children’s catechism, sports, the simplest activities — because this is true inclusion.”
Inclusion rooted in parish life
The Catholic Church’s work with young people in Italy largely relies on oratories, parish spaces where children and teenagers gather after school for sports and recreational activities. In these spaces, Santoro said, training to involve people with disabilities and discussions regarding values connected to the Paralympics take place, as well.
“There are testimonies from athletes, including Paralympians,” he said. “The real challenge is to change the game so everyone can play well and participate.”
This goal was reflected in the choir’s concert at Sant’Antonio. The repertoire was in Italian, English and included a Congolese samba — a choice aimed at diversifying and conveying values associated with the Olympic spirit.
“We tried to choose songs that speak about the desire to achieve something and about constant commitment because that is what really matters beyond the result,” said the choir’s director, Silvia Gatti. “These are values that athletes believe in, but they should concern everyone.”
The choir, whose motto is “Where singing is unity, passion, freedom and joy,” welcomes participants from all backgrounds and encourages children to sing with people in their 70s.
In previous performances, the choir has addressed themes such as peace and opposition to violence against women, underscoring its community-focused mission.
Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
Imam Abd al-Basit calls to prayer at the Al-Wahid mosque during Ramadan in Milan, Italy, Friday, Feb. 20, 2026, as the city hosts the Winter Olympics. (AP Photo/María Teresa Hernández)
MILAN (AP) – This year’s Olympic and Paralympic Games are located in Italy, a historically Catholic nation. And they coincide with Ramadan, the Muslim holy month that’s a time for dawn-to-dusk fasting, religious reflection and communal celebration.
One of the two host cities, Milan, is multicultural and cosmopolitan, and there are Islamic centers and mosques spread around the city to gather and worship. At least one is welcoming people of other faiths wishing to partake in iftar dinners, when Muslims break their daily fast.
Up in the mountains, around the village of Cortina d’Ampezzo, prayer spaces are harder to come by. Still, Muslim residents in the area over recent years have been carving out their communities.
Here’s how some Muslims are observing Ramadan in Milan and Cortina:
A mosque welcoming members of all faiths
Milan’s Al-Wahid mosque is opening its doors during Ramadan, inviting guests to share the breaking of the fast and evening prayers. Near Milan’s Navigli district, it has been officially recognized as a place of worship by the city since 2000.
Fridays — the weekly day of congregational prayer in Islam — draw larger crowds to mosques. On those days during Ramadan for the last few years, Al-Wahid welcomes guests from the municipality, local institutions, the Catholic Church and other religious communities. Interfaith iftars have become common in many parts of the world, including Muslim-majority countries such as Indonesia and Pakistan, and in Australia and the United States, where Muslims are a relatively small minority.
Al-Wahid’s open gatherings aren’t specifically for Olympic visitors, though they are scheduled weekly through March 14 — the day before the Paralympics end.
“The Olympics are a symbolic moment,” Imam Yahya Pallavicini, vice president of a national Islamic religious association known by its acronym COREIS, told The Associated Press. “Sport, culture and art can help reduce prejudice and fear toward a particular culture or religious identity.”
At sunset on Feb. 20, a few dozen Muslim worshippers stood shoulder to shoulder beneath a row of hanging lamps. They waited for the call to prayer before breaking their fast with dates offered on silver plates. Then they sat on the floor to share lentils, rice, meat and water before ending the evening with prayer.
A 2025 report by a Milan-based migration research institute, ISMU, estimates that almost 400,000 Muslims live in Lombardy, the Italian region with the biggest immigrant population and which includes Milan, Italy’s second-most populous city. The largest groups come from Morocco and Egypt, it said.
Pallavicini said the community also includes people from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Bosnia, among others.
Mountain towns, not many mosques
In the other Olympic host city, Cortina, at an elevation of about 1,220 meters (4,000 feet), eight Muslim people told the AP that finding a place to pray has proven challenging.
The upscale mountain town, known as the Queen of the Dolomites, is home to a little over 5,000 people. About half its population is part of Italy’s Ladin minority, which settled the mountain hamlet of Anpezo a millennium ago.
Rabah Boubegtiten, who traveled to work in the Olympics as a driver with Qatari security, said his drive to Brunico — the location of the nearest mosque he could find — took over an hour on a bad road. He found it using social media, having failed to locate one using Google, he added.
“There are many nationalities here, many Muslims from various countries: Algerians, Tunisians, other Africans, and many Qataris, because we are working with them during the Winter Olympic Games. They look everywhere to find a place to pray, but it’s almost impossible,” Boubegtiten, 52, who lives in Paris and is originally from Algeria, said. «For us, it’s really difficult. Sometimes, even if we want to come, we simply can’t.»
An interfaith prayer room is available at each residential village for athletes across the spread-out Games, but they are not accessible to the general public.
Elsewhere in the Dolomites, residents have been making their own spaces. They said there are sufficient places to worship around Brunico, which itself has about 17,000 people, as well as halal butchers and shops to accommodate the local Muslim population.
Around 120 people attended the Friday prayer in Brunico, sitting on the crowded floor in a room surrounded by curtains and listening to a sermon in Italian. Afterward, they were asked for donations to help cover the space’s rent and utility bills.
“In Italy, Ramadan is not an impossible thing. It is possible to practice Ramadan, it’s possible to pray,” said Kreem Wardi, whose father is Muslim from Morocco and mother is from Italy and Catholic. «It is not easy to find a mosque everywhere in Italy. But in this area, we are fine for now, inshallah.”
Wardi, a 20-year-old student, noted that in Brunico it’s uncommon to invite non-Muslims to iftar dinners or share Ramadan traditions.
“They maybe don’t want to talk about Islam. It’s not that they hate us Muslims, but it’s just that they are maybe not interested, so we don’t want to force it upon them,” he said.
A more diverse Italy
While the vast majority of Italy’s 59 million people are baptized Catholic, about three-quarters identify with the religion and far fewer regularly attend church. Muslims number 1.7 million, accounting for over 30% of the foreign resident population for the first time, ISMU, the migration research institute, said in July.
Migration over the past decade has stirred right-wing, anti-immigrant sentiment in some parts of Europe. Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, who heads the far-right Brothers of Italy party, pledged a crackdown on migration after taking office in 2022, with the goal of deterring would-be refugees from paying smugglers to make the dangerous Mediterranean crossing.
A large portion of today’s Muslim population in Italy are migrants, but there is a growing number of second-generation Italian Muslims, converts and people born in Italy, Pallavicini said in Milan.
When the call to prayer finally echoed through the Al-Wahid mosque close to 7 p.m., men and women bowed in unison, their foreheads close to the floor.
Amina Croce, 28, was one of them. Born to Italian Catholic parents who converted to Islam and raised her as a Muslim, she said the mosque «has been a very significant part of who I am.”
Beyond religious observance, Croce added, she sees the faith as part of Europe’s history.
“We believe this diversity is part of Italy’s broader cultural heritage,” said Croce, who leads the youth division of COREIS. “It may still be underappreciated, but we hope it will be recognized more in the future.”
Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
Sara Cainarca, a volunteer with the “La Via della Bellezza,” or “The Path of Beauty,” initiative, gestures toward a fresco in the church of San Giorgio al Palazzo, in Milan, Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/María Teresa Hernández)
MILAN (AP) – Away from the crowds swarming Milan’s Duomo during the Winter Olympics, young volunteers have been steering visitors toward the city’s lesser-known churches, inviting them to discover their sacred heritage.
Known as “The Path of Beauty” (“La Via della Bellezza” in Italian), the initiative began in 2020 as a project of the archdiocese’s youth ministry office. It typically offers visits on weekends, but the schedule extends to weekdays during the Games and runs through March 15.
“The idea is to welcome visitors inside these churches and invite them to rediscover an artistic beauty that we inherit from the past, but that still speaks today,” Sara Cainarca, who coordinates the team hosting the visits, told The Associated Press on Wednesday.
Faith through art
Between 15 and 20 people are involved in the archdiocese’s project, each specializing in one or two churches in Milan. The short visits are offered to a dozen Catholic sanctuaries across the city.
Volunteers wait for visitors inside their assigned church. Emphasizing they are not certified tour guides, they offer a free introduction to the history and sacred art of each building.
During the Olympic weeks, volunteers say they have welcomed visitors from the United States, France, Germany and Spain, some drawn to the city for the Games and others simply curious to explore beyond its best-known landmarks.
Giovanna Giuditta Mazza is an art history student who joined the initiative two years ago. She offers visits in English, French and Italian and is mostly based in the Basilica of San Lorenzo Maggiore, which dates back to the late 4th and early 5th centuries, making it one of the city’s oldest churches.
“When people enter the church, they often do not know what to expect,” said Mazza, 22. “But when they leave, I see a sparkle in their eyes and that is precious to me.”
For her and other volunteers, these encounters become an opportunity to speak about their faith.
“Beauty is not just about art,” said Víctor Ortíz, a 22-year-old student of cultural heritage. “It is also about the Word of God.”
The church of Santa Maria presso San Satiro is best known for the illusion created by Renaissance architect Donato Bramante, who designed a trompe-l’oeil apse to compensate for limited space.
Ortiz, who often gives guides there, explains to visitors how the site had also been linked to a 13th-century miracle, in which an image of the Virgin Mary was said to have bled after being stabbed.
“The growing devotion surrounding that event eventually led to the construction of the church in the 16th century,” he said.
Training and tradition
“La Via della Bellezza” began as training sessions in which university students from the Lombardy region explored the relationship between art and spirituality. Volunteers then spread to cities like Brescia or Bergamo, where churches and basilicas are known for their rich Romanesque and Baroque art.
“The idea is to accompany visitors so they move from being tourists to becoming pilgrims who discover a deeper desire within themselves,” said Cainarca, 26.
Volunteers meet at least once a month with experts who provide additional training in art history and other topics. Additionally, the group travels to nearby places to deepen their understanding of both artistic heritage and the spiritual traditions behind it. They will soon head to Ravenna, home to a series of Christian monuments famed for their mosaics that has been recognized as a World Heritage by the U.N. cultural agency UNESCO.
Milan, though, is Cainarca’s favorite city to work in. She says its churches are part of the city’s identity and that its patron, Saint Ambrose, shaped a vision of community and collaboration.
“Today, Milan is known for fashion, shopping, finance and skyscrapers,” she said. “These churches offer a moment of pause, contemplation and discovery.”
Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
MILAN (AP) – A 15th-century statue that once stood outside Milan’s iconic Duomo has found a new home.
The Bearded Saint with Book was recently restored under the “Adopt a Statue” program, launched in 2020 by the centuries-old institution that oversees the cathedral’s conservation. As of Feb. 13, it is on display at Piazzale Cadorna, behind a glass window at the headquarters of FNM, a Lombardy-based transport company.
The program recruits donors — either companies or individuals — to fund restoration of a statue under a loan agreement that allows it to occasionally be displayed outside the Duomo.
“The uniqueness of this project is that statues that would otherwise remain in our deposits are restored and brought back to their original beauty,” the program’s project manager, Elisa Mantia, said in an interview with The Associated Press. “In that way, they can continue to tell the story of the Duomo even in places that are far from the monument.”
These agreements are in some cases granted for an initial one-year term and may be renewed. The initiative follows previous fundraising campaigns in which donors could adopt gargoyles or spires in exchange for inclusion in the Duomo’s donor register, where contributors’ names are recorded as part of the cathedral’s long history of support.
From storage to public display
The construction of the Duomo began in 1386, under the rule of Gian Galeazzo Visconti, then lord of Milan, in collaboration with the city’s archbishop. The cathedral was built on the site of two preexisting basilicas and its completion took more than five centuries. One of its bronze doors was not installed until 1965.
Because construction spanned centuries, the Duomo’s statues were carved by artists from different regions and periods, resulting in a monument that reads as a timeline of evolving artistic styles.
The Veneranda Fabbrica del Duomo, which oversees the cathedral’s conservation, has sought funding to restore statues removed over the centuries for maintenance or safety reasons.
“Culture can save the world,” Andrea Gibelli, president of FNM, said during a press conference on Feb. 13 to mark the unveiling of Bearded Saint with Book. “We want to spread the cultural riches we are fortunate to have, which are often overlooked or not fully appreciated.»
Other sculptures adopted under the program by different sponsors have included a 16th-century David, a depiction of Samson and the Lion, and a statue of Saint Matthew the Apostle.
While the number of adopted statues isn’t disclosed and not all are displayed in public spaces, Mantia said that her institution has preselected around 30 sculptures as eligible for restoration. Each case must be authorized by Italy’s cultural heritage authorities, as the process involves a formal loan agreement subject to conservation, insurance and transport regulations.
“We usually select them because they are very beautiful and not so damaged that they would be unsafe to loan,” Mantia said.
Once a donor reaches out, experts like Mantia accompany them to the Duomo’s storage facilities to choose a sculpture. After it is selected, restoration typically takes between one and three months.
Centuries-old marble
Bearded Saint with a Book was originally displayed outdoors. Aside from a black crust from air pollution on its surface, it had no structural damages preventing its loan.
“This often involves only surface finishing or an intervention with compresses or mechanical cleaning,” Mantia said.
The marble used for both the statues and the Duomo itself comes from the quarries of Candoglia in Italy’s Piedmont region. The same stone has been used since the late 14th century, under the supervision of the Veneranda Fabbrica del Duomo.
“Beyond being the symbol of Milan, the Duomo is also a symbol of its history,” Mantia said. “It is a monument that grew together with the city, that tells within itself, in its statues and in the style with which it is decorated, the entire history of the city.”
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Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
The “Cross of Athletes” is seen during a Mass at the Basilica of San Babila, known as the Church of Athletes during the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 8, 2026. The cross travels to Olympic host cities as a symbol of faith, unity, and the values of sport. (AP Photo/María Teresa Hernandez)
MILAN (AP) – Much like the Olympic flame, there is another symbol of triumph and transcendence — far less known — that graces one host city after another: a one-of-a-kind, wooden cross.
The Cross of the Athletes has arrived in Milan for the Winter Games and holds pride of place beside the main altar in the Basilica of San Babila. It is one of the city’s oldest churches that — for a few weeks, while the cross is within its walls — holds the title of Church of Athletes.
The presence of the cross at the Games is a tangible sign of the Catholic Church’s belief that sport is a powerful way to bring people together. And this cross is unique in that it is made from pieces of wood sourced in five continents, an apparent nod to the five Olympic rings that convey the same sentiment.
“We think of sport not as an instrument that separates, but as one that unites,” said the Rev. Stefano Guidi, who heads the Archdiocese of Milan’s Service for Oratories and Sport. “The cross represents this precisely through the way it was created.”
The making of the cross
English artist Jon Cornwall used 15 pieces of wood from continents around the world to craft the cross, which made its grand debut at the London Olympics in 2012.
Since then, special ceremonies have marked its arrival to host cities for both the Summer and Winter Games. (The exception was Tokyo, when pandemic travel restrictions were in place.) Last June, it was in the Vatican for the Jubilee of Sport, celebrated with Pope Leo XIV, who has a long-standing personal connection to sport. And the cross is expected to travel to Los Angeles for the 2028 Games.
“The cross — carrying the prayers and hopes of athletes — is a Christian message addressed to the entire world of sport, a sign of hope for humanity, and a proposal of peace among peoples,” according to a document from the Vatican’s culture ministry, which includes a sports department.
Leo said in a message entitled “Life in Abundance” issued on the same day as the Milan Cortina opening ceremony, that sport brings people together and values the journey as well as the end result.
“It teaches us that we can strive for the highest level without denying our own fragility; that we can win without humiliating others; and that we can lose without being defeated as individuals,” he wrote.
On a recent February morning, Giovanna Spotti and her husband attended Mass at San Babila and took a moment to closely admire the cross.
“The Cross of the Athletes moves us a great deal, because it is displayed and venerated here,” said Spotti, who lives nearby. “And San Babila is important because it is a very old church, truly characteristic of Milan.”
A message of unity beyond language
The Romanesque basilica sits in the heart of the city near Piazza San Babila, a major transit and meeting point. Milan’s Catholic archdiocese has designated it the Church of Athletes during the Olympics and Paralympics.
As part of the church’s activities for this period, it is celebrating some Masses in Italian, English, French and German.
The church was packed during the first Mass on Feb. 8, in Italian. The homily focused on the importance of embracing fraternity over individualism and fostering a spirit of unity beyond divisions.
Later, the Rev. Stefano Chiarolla celebrated a German-language Mass. All attendees were Italian, but Chiarolla said the initiative is important nonetheless.
“Multilingual Masses are a sign of welcome,” said Chiarolla, who asked German speakers to raise their hands at the end of his homily and smiled when merely one Italian man did. “People can always attend Mass in Italian, but the diocese wants to offer a visible sign of hospitality that reflects the international nature of the event.”
Marino Parodi, who raised his hand, said he attended because family issues prevented him from coming to the earlier service.
“I searched on the web and I found this option,” he said. “I was glad to find it.”
Both the display of the cross and the multilingual Masses are part of the Milan archdiocese’s efforts to promote unity during the 2026 Winter Olympics. That broader program includes a youth-focused “Tour of Sports Values,” cultural exhibitions, a theatrical performance, concerts and inclusive sports initiatives, as well as art routes through some of Milan’s historic churches.
Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
FILE – Leonardo da Vinci’s «Last Supper,» created between 1494 and 1498, is pictured in the refectory of the Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan, Italy, Feb. 9, 2021. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni, File)
MILAN (AP) – Tourists to Milan during the Winter Olympics hoping to see Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” were in for an unwelcome surprise: Access to the masterpiece is closed to the public for 3 1/2 days.
The painting, created between 1494 and 1498 by the Italian Renaissance artist, is located on a wall inside the refectory of Santa Maria delle Grazie, a church and Dominican convent still used by friars. It is a major attraction for appreciators of art and devout Catholics alike.
Tourists stuck at the police cordon down the street leading to Santa Maria delle Grazie were disappointed. Antonio Rodríguez, who traveled from Spain with friends, said they would have no other chance to see the painting nor the adjacent church since they only traveled for the weekend.
“We didn’t know we would face this,” said Rodríguez, adding he had no plans to attend events related to the Games. «We would have gone somewhere else in the city.
A sign on the wall outside Il Cenacolo Vinciano stated that access to the landmark would be closed all day on Feb. 5, 6 and 7, and the morning of Feb. 8, without giving any reason. Staff there told a reporter from The Associated Press they were not authorized to provide any information.
VIPs still allowed in on Saturda
Unbeknownst to frustrated visitors, multiple groups of VIPs were exempt from the restrictions on Saturday
Among them were U.S. Vice President JD Vance and his family, according to a statement from the vice president’s office. They visited the morning after he met Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and attended the Games’ opening ceremony
Vance converted to Catholicism in 2019, which he has said brought him a sense of spiritual fulfillment. He visited Rome and Vatican City during Holy Week last year, and was among the last world leaders to meet Pope Francis before his passing. They sat down together on Easter Sunday after a long-distance tangle over the Trump administration’s migrant deportation plans
In addition to Vance, many foreign delegations have visited The Last Supper and the Brera Art Gallery in recent days, including those of China, Poland, Hungary and Bulgaria, Angelo Crespi, the director of Grande Brera that oversees both institutions, said in a statement
“We interpret our role responsibly, not only in terms of tourism but also in terms of international relations,” he said.
Traffic in the area surrounding the religious site on Saturday was diverted. People walking along nearby streets said public transportation was disrupted, as well.
“The trams were changed without any notice,” said Fedeli Gioia. “This whole area is blocked because someone is going to see Il Cenacolo? And where does that leave us citizens?”
A painting that — with care and luck — has survived for centuries
The Last Supper — described by renowned writer Giorgio Vasari as “a beautiful and marvelous thing” in his writings — is preserved under strict conservation conditions.
Instead of creating a fresco that would have allowed the paint to be absorbed by plaster, Leonardo used a dry technique that made it much more vulnerable to deterioration. Environmental damage and repeated restoration attempts altered its appearance and prompted ongoing conservation efforts.
Nowadays, visits last about 15 minutes for a maximum number of 40 people at a time and temperature and humidity are strictly controlled.
Leonardo’s painting depicts the moment after Jesus tells his apostles: “One of you will betray me.” The scene’s composition has had other interpretations by previous artists, but Leonardo reinterpreted it, placing Jesus at the center and arranging the apostles in four groups of three figures.
Aside from conservation issues derived from the dry technique used by Leonardo, the mural suffered deterioration when the refectory housing it was used as a stable in the late 1700s during the French occupation of Milan by Napoleon’s troops. Later, it was severely damaged when Allied bombing struck the Santa Maria delle Grazie complex in 1943 during World War II.
It made a controversial appearance, of sorts, in the Paris Olympics in 2024. A scene in the opening ceremony evoked the painting, and included DJ Barbara Butch — an LGBTQ+ icon — wearing a silver headdress resembling a halo while flanked by drag artists and dancers.
A group of Japanese tourists was among the would-be visitors behind the police cordon on Saturday. They photographed the church from a distance and listened to a guide’s explanation in the middle of the street.
Luisa Castro, a Filipina who has lived in Milan for 20 years, was hoping to visit Santa Maria delle Grazie with friends.
“We are Catholics from the Philippines and we seldom have time to visit a church like this,” she said. “Unfortunately, the vice president of America came to see the Last Supper and we could not enter.”
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Associated Press writers Colleen Barry and Michelle Price in Milan contributed to this report.}
Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
La Profesa church in downtown Mexico City has endured through a tumultuous history. An uprising left bullet holes in its walls in 1847. A fire devoured its wooden floors decades later. Its foundation continues to sink due to unstable ground.
“What makes this space important is that it remains alive and continues to be in use,” art historian Alejandro Hernández said.
Hernández works with a handful of experts to preserve and promote the capital’s heritage through the Mexico City Historic Center Trust, which operates under the municipal government.
The trust recently launched an initiative aimed at encouraging Mexicans to reconnect with the historic heart of the city. The program includes visits to more than 40 churches, among them La Profesa, as part of 26 cultural activities planned for 2026.
“We wish for young people to get interested in their own heritage,” said Anabelí Contreras, head of outreach at the trust.
Her team constantly runs campaigns highlighting historical facts about the area.
They promote workshops and exhibitions, such as one celebrating the 700th anniversary of the founding of Tenochtitlan, the powerful Aztec capital that once stood on the site of present-day Mexico City. And the trust’s magazine, Kilómetro Cero, showcases hidden gems in the surrounding neighborhoods.
Experts like Hernández go one step further. They team up to restore treasured buildings like La Profesa, which was severely damaged by a deadly earthquake in 2017.
“After the quake, the valuable art collection inside the sanctuary’s gallery suffered the most,” he said. “We haven’t been able to reopen that space to the public yet, but we’re working on it.”
A collection brought back to life
Each building overseen by the trust has treasures to protect. La Profesa’s uniqueness lies in the paintings it preserves, Hernández said.
“What is exceptional is that so many of the paintings originally made for the church have survived,” he said.
Founded by the Jesuits in 1610, the site later took the form of the church seen today. It was rebuilt by renowned architect Pedro de Arrieta in 1714.
Its heritage includes textiles worn to this day by priests celebrating Mass, relics displayed each Nov. 2 to mark Dia de Muertos, the Day of the Dead, and the artworks that led to the inauguration of a public gallery in the 1970s.
“The heritage found in this church today dates from the 17th through the 21st centuries,” Hernández said.
The gallery safeguarding La Profesa’s paintings lies hidden from sight on its upper floor. The space now looks renewed, but bringing it back to life was a delicate, almost surgical process.
Alejandra Barrón, an architect from the trust who oversaw its two restoration stages, said some of the cracks left by the 2017 quake were so severe that one could look into the walls of neighboring buildings.
“The entire floor was replaced, the cracks were stitched together, and the plasterwork was carefully restored,” she said.
There is still work to be done and the timing of its completion remains uncertain. But for now, Barrón is relieved to see some of the artworks hanging on the walls again.
“It’s unusual to find a church that can also serve as a gallery or a museum,” she said. “If these paintings were removed from here, they would no longer carry the same meaning.”
Church and plaza bear witness to history
A few meters (yards) away stands the church of Santo Domingo. Founded by Dominican friars in the 16th century and rebuilt by de Arrieta nearly two centuries later, the sanctuary bears witness to the capital’s transformation.
The church currently dominates the landscape, yet it used to be part of a far larger complex. Most of its chapels and convent gradually were destroyed. A new street was later paved through the site, effectively splitting the complex into two.
Across from the church stands a residential compound where remains of the convent’s arches can be seen. The trust works closely with the community to preserve the site.
María Esther Centeno has lived there for decades. Dozens of Mexicans like her were offered an apartment in the area after a devastating quake in 1985 left many without a home.
“When they (from the trust) came to fix this place, we learned about its history,” she said. “There used to be a dining hall. On that other side were the nuns’ cells.”
Neither the homes nor other buildings underwent restoration after the 2017 quake. However, the church still hurts from the tragedy.
The trust’s architect overseeing its renovations knows the building like the back of his hand. A hidden clock, a wall shadowed by the organ and the bell tower all had cracks repaired by Jesús Martínez and his team.
“To me, this is the most important sanctuary in Mexico’s historic center after the cathedral,” Martínez said. “The choir stalls are unique because they are original — they haven’t been broken up or replaced.”
On a recent morning in late January, María Lourdes Flota entered Santo Domingo by chance.
She traveled from the state of Yucatán in southern Mexico to visit the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe. While walking across downtown, the church caught her eye.
“This is my first time here and we decided to come in,” she said. “It’s so beautiful. I love all the images it preserves.”
Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
They gathered in a major Catholic procession in Barquisimeto, about 170 miles (270 kilometers) west of Caracas, to honor Divina Pastora, a title for the Virgin Mary.
The longing for peace, prosperity and good health comes during a time of political uncertainty following the capture of President Nicolás Maduro on Jan. 3.
After a military operation that took Maduro to the United States, President Donald Trump said that he would run Venezuela at least temporarily and tap its vast oil reserves to sell to other nations. Trump has endorsed Delcy Rodríguez as Venezuela’s acting president.
“We pray for our country, because our country truly needs God,” said housewife Miriam Espinoza during Wednesday’s procession. “May we have peace and may our country return to normalcy.”
The pilgrimage honoring the Divina Pastora takes place every Jan. 14. According to local authorities, the procession draws about 2 million people and stretches roughly 4 miles (7 kilometers).
Mostly dressed in white, pilgrims depart from the Santa Rosa sanctuary and stop at 12 stations along the way before reaching Barquisimeto’s cathedral.
The procession is a cornerstone of Catholic identity in Barquisimeto, drawing generations of families into an annual public expression of faith.
“For us in Barquisimeto, it means everything,” said Johenny Hernández, a civilian engineer who attended the event with several of her relatives. “The Virgin walks with us as we make our way toward Jesus Christ.”
She said she and her brother face health problems that prevented them from walking the whole way. But they decided to attend anyway, praying for a speedy recovery.
Clara Castillo also prayed for her son’s good health and a better future for her country. She said her devotion goes back 39 years, when her son was diagnosed with hemophilia at age 1.
“My faith has been there ever since, and for the rest of my days I will ask God to give me the health I need,” she said. “And today I pray for my beloved Venezuela.”
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Hernández reported from Mexico City.
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Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
FILE – The pinnacles of the Duomo cathedral are lit by the afternoon declining sun and backdropped by the new Business Center in Milan, northern Italy, Jan. 4, 2017. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno, File)
Milan’s Catholic leaders faced a choice when the city was selected to host the 2026 Winter Olympics.
They could passively wait for the event to unfold or immediately bring the Olympic spirit into their pastoral work. They chose the latter.
“We believe that the Olympics represent a great educational opportunity in the meanings they will carry,” wrote Milan’s Archbishop Mario Delpini in a letter following the launch of a program aimed at promoting Olympic values among young people.
The Ora Sport on Fire Tour has been underway since late 2022, with new activities led by the archdiocese planned during the Games.
“The city as an Olympic village is a metaphor to say that relationships are shaped by competing in mutual esteem,” Delpini added.
In Italy, a country shaped by Catholic tradition, the Ora Sport on Fire Tour operates in parish youth centers and schools. It was developed by the Milan archdiocese’s sports and youth outreach offices, in collaboration with its school pastoral services.
According to the Rev. Stefano Guidi, who heads the archdiocese’s Service for Oratories and Sport, both the program and the activities that will run during the Games aim to make a specific contribution by highlighting the inclusive and social aspects of sport.
“We hope that these values will help young people in our city grow,” he said.
Turning Olympic values into action
The first step in shaping the Ora Sport on Fire Tour was studying the Olympic Charter, the founding document of the Olympic movement.
Faith leaders in Milan then rooted their project in the cultural values of the event. Through sporting events, contests and workshops, themes such as human rights and peace have been promoted.
These are hosted in Christian-inspired schools and oratories, parish spaces that are turned over to afterschool activities for young people, including sports and Catholic catechism classes.
Among its activities ahead of the Winter Olympics, the archdiocese has also hosted encounters between religious leaders, athletes and young people.
During one of the early events tied to the program’s rollout, Paralympic swimmer Arianna Talamona shared how being an athlete is both an honor and a responsibility.
“One thing I often feel like saying when I go into schools and meet students is to be patient and to have very clear ideas about their passions,” said Talamona during the encounter, which was streamed on the archdiocese’s channels. “And if they have dreams and passions, it’s important to cultivate them.”
A traveling torch
The Ora Sport On Fire Tour has its own Olympic torch. It’s a symbolic path to bring the Games’ spirit to participating institutions.
The torch has traveled throughout the territories of the diocese, visiting two pastoral zones per year. As each deanery welcomed it, gatherings, prayer and talks on Olympic values were held.
Oratories in towns such as Tradate, in northern Italy, posted on social media how children and adolescents transported the torch and reflected on its meaning.
In other cities, such as Gallarate, sports activities were focused on inclusion. They taught youths how to recognize and respect differences and diverse abilities.
The approach has been a constant of the program since its beginnings. To mark the launch of the third year of the Ora Sport On Fire Tour, Paralympic swimmer Alberto Amodeo appeared as a guest at a diocesan sports gathering in Abbiategrasso.
He recalled his achievements in both the Tokyo and Paris Paralympics, underlining how the Games bring together athletes of different ethnicities.
“These are beautiful results that will remain forever in my heart,” Amodeo said.
A broader mission
The initiatives implemented during the Ora Sport On Fire Tour changed from one deanery to another. Some hosted sports-themed plays overseen by a professional theater company. Others organized film forums or large-scale sports activities.
All remain tied to the upcoming Olympics. Yet sports have long been key to the archdiocese’s pastoral outreach to youths even before Italy was chosen to host the Winter Games.
According to Guidi, there are about 1,000 oratories in Milan’s diocese. Practically all of them have a sports club that carries out activities. “Some even reach 100 years of history,” he said. “For many kids, adolescents and families, this is their only possibility to practice sports.”
He added that most activities are offered at low cost, mainly thanks to volunteer work.
Throughout the diocese’s sport-related programs, three aspects remain key: conveying how sport helps develop the physical abilities of each person, how it supports socialization and how it develops respect for one’s opponent.
“It therefore proposes a kind of growth that has the meaning of constant training of oneself and of one’s relationships,” Guidi said. “And the possibility of learning from one’s mistakes.”
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Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
Un peregrino, que carga con una imagen de la Virgen de Guadalupe, pasa caminando por delante del Popocatepetl, en Paso de Cortés, de camino a la Ciudad de México, el 10 de diciembre de 2025. (AP Foto/Claudia Rosel)
MEXICO CITY (AP) – There’s a saying in Mexico: “Not all Mexicans are Catholic, but all are Guadalupan.”
The phrase conveys the deep connection between Our Lady of Guadalupe and the country’s identity. In the nation of 130 million people — the majority of whom identify as Catholic — this apparition of the Virgin Mary carries a symbolic force that often surpasses religious belief.
“After Mexico emerged as an independent nation, she came to embody not just religious devotion but a sense of national identity,” said Nydia Rodríguez, director of a museum dedicated to the Virgin at Mexico City’s Basilica. The sanctuary draws up to 12 million pilgrims during her feast day each Dec. 12.
Mexico’s official emblem is an eagle perched on a cactus while devouring a serpent. The Virgin’s likeness is often on display alongside it in government buildings, banners and portraits of political leaders.
“Mexico is a secular state, but in its history there has always been religion,” Rodríguez said. “Our pre-Hispanic ancestors and Spanish society were deeply religious and there’s a point where both traditions meet.”
Among the pieces on display at the museum is a 19th-century painting known as the “Virgin of Congress.” It stands at the center of the main hall, flanked by two golden eagles and framed by Mexican flags.
“This was a gift for the first Constitutional Congress,” Rodríguez said. “In a way, it legitimized those political leaders as if Our Lady of Guadalupe was backing up that Congress.”
Where belief begins
The museum’s “Virgin of Congress” is no ordinary painting. It belongs to a group of artworks classified as “touched by the original,” a term used by Mexican scholars to describe a devotional copy of the original image.
According to the Catholic Church, that very first icon is considered a miracle. Its backstory describes the Virgin’s apparition on a cold December night in 1531.
Under that belief, an Indigenous man named Juan Diego saw Our Lady of Guadalupe near Tepeyac Hill, where the current Basilica stands. She is said to have asked for a temple to be built to honor her son, Jesus Christ, but the local bishop was skeptical.
Guided by her instruction, Juan Diego placed flowers in his cloak. And when he later opened it, a colorful image of the Virgin appeared.
That cloth hangs in the center of the Basilica. Pilgrims travel from across Mexico all year long to give thanks for the miracles they believe the Virgin has granted them.
Teresa Morales is among them. The 85-year-old made a recent visit to the shrine ahead of Dec. 12 to show gratitude for her good health.
She said she felt tormented by knee pain that barely allowed her to walk. But as she prayed to an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe that she keeps at home, her suffering stopped.
“The other day I came for confession and the priest told me to spread the word,” she said. “To tell everyone that her miracles are real.”
The Virgin’s civic power
Our Lady of Guadalupe’s power to bring people together was key when Mexico’s movement for independence began in 1810.
The fight against Spanish rule was led by a priest called Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla. Now considered the father of the nation, he rose up in arms one early morning in September carrying an image of the Virgin.
It was originally a painting that hung in a sanctuary in central Mexico. Aware of its symbolic force, Hidalgo tied it to a lance and used it as his banner.
“The priest was leading the people against the bad government,” said Salvador Rueda, historian and director of Mexico’s National Museum of History, where the iconic canvas is on display. “And why did everybody follow? Because Our Lady of Guadalupe represents us all.”
Multiple galleries within the museum convey how the Virgin has played a double function in recent centuries. Her presence in private lockets, a mural by modernist architect Juan O’Gorman and medals granted by Mexico’s first emperor to praise patriotic services show how it has been both a devotional image and a civic symbol.
According to Rueda, some visitors cross themselves when they spot the first painting at the exhibition. However, their reaction shifts as they approach Hidalgo’s banner. “One is followed by devotion,” he said. “The other is a flag.”
Further armies embraced the Virgin’s image in their causes. While details differ, both the Cristeros and the Zapatistas depicted her in their flags during the early 20th century.
“What started as a devotion ended up becoming a public image,” Rueda said. “A reference to one’s identity not as Catholic, but as Mexican.”
While several experts have wondered whether the cloth at the Basilica is a painting rather than a miraculous object, Rueda said that historians should not care.
“Why would that matter?” he asked. “It’s real because it’s part of reality, of history. Because it shapes an entire world.”
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Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
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