PHOTOS: Pope Leo XIV blesses Giro d’Italia cyclists in Vatican City
Tuesday, 3 June 2025 ()
Pope Leo XIV addresses 159 cyclists before they take a noncompetitive ride around Vatican City on the day of the last leg of the international Giro d’Italia multistage bicycle race on June 1, 2025. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News/Vatican Pool
Vatican City, Jun 3, 2025 / 09:00 am (CNA).
Pope Leo XIV on Sunday blessed the cyclists of the Giro d’Italia before the last leg of the multistage international race, telling them they are all welcome in the Catholic Church.
Addressing the 159 cyclists in a square just inside Vatican City, the pope said in English: “May God bless all of you on this last part of the Giro d’Italia. Congratulations to all of you, and may you know that you are always welcome here in the Vatican, you are always welcomed by the Church, which represents God’s love for all people.”
Pope Leo XIV watches as 159 world-class cyclists start a ride through Vatican City before the last stage of the Giro d'Italia competition on June 1, 2025. Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News/Vatican Pool
In a short address in Italian, Leo praised cycling as an important sport, reminding the world-class athletes that they are models for many young people.
“And I hope that, just as you have learned to care for the body, the spirit too is always blessed, and that you are always attentive to the human being as a whole: body, mind, and spirit,” he added.
Bicyclists from around the world taking part in the international Giro d'Italia competition pedal through the Square of the Roman Protomartyrs in Vatican City on June 1, 2025. Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News/Vatican Pool
The professional race, which started in Albania on May 9, is among the top three most important international multistage races in the world, together with the Tour de France and the Vuelta a Espana. It includes 21 stages, mostly in Italy.
The last leg of the 108th edition of the race took place on June 1, starting from the Caracalla Baths, just south of the Coliseum, and proceeding toward the Vatican.
The 1.8-mile noncompetitive ride through the Vatican started from the Petriano Square, just south of St. Peter’s Basilica inside the city state, where Pope Leo XIV greeted the athletes at the starting line.
Giro d'Italia cyclists take in breathtaking views of St. Peter's Basilica and dome from inside Vatican City during a noncompetitive ride before the last leg of the international multistage race in Rome on June 1, 2025. Credit: Vatican Media
The cyclists then followed the Vatican walls past the basilica to climb toward the Vatican Gardens and arrive at the heliport, the highest, westernmost point of the territory.
The racers then pedaled through a green space dotted with Marian images, including a replica of the Lourdes grotto and a mosaic of Our Lady of Good Counsel — a favorite devotion of Pope Leo.
The Giro d'Italia athletes ride through the Vatican Gardens, past the Vatican Museums, to arrive at the heliport, the highest, westernmost point of the Vatican City territory during a noncompetitive ride before the last leg of the race on June 1, 2025. Credit: Vatican Media
After descending toward the Vatican Museums and the “Square Garden,” the cyclists doubled back along the rear of St. Peter’s Basilica to exit out a side gate on the south side of Vatican City.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
You Might LikeRelated videos from verified sources
|
||||||
![Cyclists receive Pope Leo XIV's blessing in historic Giro d'Italia finale [Video]](https://video.newsserve.net/300/v/20250602/1412678298-Cyclists-receive-Pope-Leo-XIV-blessing-in.jpg)
![Vatican LIVE: Pope Leo XIV Presides Jubilee Mass & Regina Caeli at St. Peter’s Basilica [Video]](https://video.newsserve.net/300/v/20250601/1748783931-Vatican-LIVE-Pope-Leo-XIV-Presides-Jubilee-Mass.jpg)
![Fact check: Is Pope Leo XIV affiliated to the US Republican Party? [Video]](https://video.newsserve.net/300/v/20250526/1411958290-Fact-check-Is-Pope-Leo-XIV-affiliated-to.jpg)
