PUEBLA – A pair of large vases bearing soccer balls stand at the entrance to Mexico’s first Maradonian church and an image of Diego Maradona wearing a charro hat welcomes worshippers.
Inside the church, the Catholic Stations of the Cross are recreated with photos of Maradona from his childhood to emblematic meetings with the late Cuban leader Fidel Castro and Pope Francis.
The church, which opened on July 7, celebrates the “religion” created in Argentina in 1998 by the admirers of the late soccer player Maradona.
Maradona, who died in November 2020 shortly after celebrating his 60th birthday, achieved soccer glory after winning the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, which crowned him one of the best players of all time.
Marcelo Buchet, who opened the church, said it was a place “where we can talk about football.”(Reuters)
