Monument to Pope John Paul II, Bronze monument near Metropolitan Cathedral, Mexico City, Mexico.

The Monument to Pope John Paul II, officially Llaves de fe (Keys of Faith), stands in the western atrium of the Metropolitan Cathedral in Mexico City's historic center. Sculpted by Francisco Cárdenas Martínez, the 3.1-meter statue shows the pope in vestments bearing a high-relief image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, her hands joined in prayer. The figure was cast from over seven million donated keys and weighs about five tons.

In 2005, Grupo Salinas, owned by Ricardo Salinas Pliego, launched the "Dale la llave de tu corazón" campaign, asking the public for unused keys to melt down for a monument to John Paul II. Sculptors submitted designs and the public chose Francisco Cárdenas Martínez's, which was installed in 2007. The pope had celebrated Mass in the cathedral in 1979, the only pope to do so, and said "México, siempre fiel."

The Pope's vestments in the monument bear an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, showing how Catholic faith connects with Mexican religious traditions that people hold dear.

The monument sits inside the cathedral complex in the western atrium and is reachable on foot from the city center. The location is typically open during cathedral visiting hours, and guests should be aware this is a religious setting.

The keys were collected at the TV Azteca headquarters, most of them bronze; those unfit for the exterior were used for the statue's interior. Sculptor Francisco Cárdenas Martínez carved it in Iztapalapa and said the face of John Paul II was the hardest part.