On 12–13 June, the Dicastery for Culture and Education took part in the ceremony and sporting event “L’Étape du Tour de France” in Trondheim, Norway.

The sporting event is part of the preparations for the National Jubilee of 2030, during which the millennium of the death of St Olav (995–1030), King of Norway, will be celebrated. After years spent as a Viking warrior, Olav gradually converted to Christianity and was baptised in Rouen. He became King of Norway in 1015 and promoted the unification of the kingdom and the establishment of Christianity as the foundation of social life. Shortly after his death in battle, he immediately began to be venerated as a saint by the people, becoming a crucial figure in Norway’s national history and in ecumenical unity among the various Christian denominations in the region.

At the invitation of the organisers, Fr Miguel Cardoso, representing the Dicastery, gave a talk during the official ceremony that preceded the sporting competition, held on 12 June at the historic Archbishop’s Palace in Trondheim. In his address, he outlined the key points of Pope Leo XIV’s recent Letter on sport, entitled “Life in Abundance”. Shortly before, an official reception had been held at Trondheim City Hall with local authorities and in the presence of the Catholic Bishop of Trondheim, Monsignor Erik Varden.

On 13 June, the 130-kilometre cycle race took place, attracting around 4,000 cyclists, including two representatives from Athletica Vaticana: Fr Antons Prikulis and Fr Nicola Vignola.

On the morning of 14 June, the delegation comprising these three priests attended the Sunday Mass at St Olav’s Cathedral, sharing moments of fellowship and their own witness with the growing Catholic community in the centre of Trondheim.