MEXICO CITY — Parents of sick children in the Mexican capital make pilgrimages to pray to the Holy Child of Miracles, a Christ child statue perched on a tiny throne in a centuries-old Catholic parish. Every four years, Mexican soccer fans make pilgrimages to the St. Gabriel Archangel parish, too, praying for World Cup success to the Christ child, which gets dressed in Mexico’s iconic three-color uniform for the tournament.
People consider the Christ child a miracle worker, says Carmen Valero, the parish staffer responsible to purchasing the uniform and dressing the statue. But when asked about the requests for success on the soccer field, she pithily responded, “He performs miracles, but not that many.