Flanked by race leaders, from left, Denmark's Mads Pedersen, Mexico's Isaac Del Toro, Britain's Simon Yates and Italy's Lorenzo Fortunato, Pope Leo XIV blesses the pack before the start of the final stage of the Giro d'Italia inside the Vatican, Sunday, June 1, 2025. (Andrew Medichini/AP)
Did you hear that a Canadian, Ottawa's Derek Gee, placed fourth in the Giro d'Italia, the Italian version of the Tour de France? This is an impressive accomplishment and I wonder if the blessing before the final stage of the race by Pope Leo gave him wings? This blessing took place at the Vatican and it may have been the first such occasion. Of course, the other 158 racers were also blessed so there wouldn't have been an advantage.
According to Sportsnet Leo offered: “You are role models for young people all over the world,” Leo told the peloton. “May God bless all of you on this last part of the Giro d’Italia. Congratulations to all of you. May you know that you are always welcome here in the Vatican. You are always welcome by the church, which represents God’s love for all people.”
Given the history of doping in the sport the "role model" comment could be taken with a grain of salt, but that's okay. The race leaders actually spoke with the pontiff, an opportunity which caught them off guard.
I've written about the annual Blessing of the Bicycles which has taken place at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City for 27 years. Cyclists bring their bikes into the cathedral and the dean sprinkles the riders with holy water. This is a blessing for protection in a city that must be more like heaven than hell for cyclists.
While I was minister at Bridge St. UC here in Belleville we held a similar sort of blessing with a much smaller group and then went for a ride through the city. Then we realized that we weren't insured for the latter part so we didn't repeat it.
There are cities around the world that are creating cyclist-friendly environments, a blessing in itself. As a result there are fewer vehicles on the roads and people are realizing that they can get around for daily tasks and commutes just as fast or faster and be healthier in the bargain. In Paris, where crazy drivers once abounded, more cyclists now commute than car drivers. Of course, Premier Doug Ford hasn't got the memo on this one and wants to remove bike lanes in Toronto.
Well done, Pope Leo, on this initiative. Why not? I hope this becomes a tradition although it might be wise for him to forgo spandex.
Paris cycling commuters
2 comments:
Having recently been to Paris, Amsterdam and Brussels, I can definitely attest to cycling being a way of life over there - especially in Amsterdam.
As much as I appreciate there being fewer motor vehicles on the road pollluting our air, the behaviour of many of the cyclists leaves a lot to be desired. Clearly, there are no rules of the road for them and if I had a euro for every cyclist who went through a red light and almost hit pedestrians crossing the other way(including us!), I'd be pretty wealthy. And don't even get me started about the lack of helmets.
Blowing through red lights is never cool, whether vehicle drivers or cyclists. I do remember visiting Paris in my youth where lights were "stoptional" and prayers were necessary to cross a street. As for helmet, they make good sense but Europeans figure that they shouldn't need them any more than car drivers.
Post a Comment