Pope Leo XIV arrived in Argentina following a tour of Uruguay, where the pontiff engaged society and addressed crowds.
The 12-day South American journey marked the first papal visit to Uruguay since 1988. Travelling accompanied by Vatican journalists, the pontiff landed in Montevideo on November 6 to begin an itinerary in the country.
Uruguay’s Constitution separated the state from the Catholic Church in 1919, establishing that the government supports no religion whatsoever
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During his stay, the pontiff celebrated mass at the Parque París Londres in Paysandú before an estimated 40,000 faithful, visited the Casavalle neighborhood in Montevideo, and led a prayer vigil at the Estadio Centenario attended by roughly 60,000 people. Later, in the exterior of the Catedral Basílica de Florida, a mass drew individuals, while additional people gathered in Juanicó and faithful received a blessing at the Santa Teresita parish.
President Yamandú Orsi greeted the Pope at Plaza Independencia alongside former presidents Julio María Sanguinetti and Luis Alberto Lacalle. Foreign Minister Mario Lubetkin described the reception as a rare moment of national unity in a secular state. Orsi was accompanied by officials including Canelones leader Francisco Legnani and Florida representative Carlos Enciso during discussions regarding the visit.
Daniel Sturla, archbishop of Montevideo, observed that in a culture shaped by high suicide rates and the legalization of abortion and euthanasia, local believers sometimes experience a certain feeling of being cornered
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That makes us Catholics ourselves withdraw a bit at times, and I believe a papal visit helps to express the faith more publicly
, Sturla said. Upon departure, the pontiff exchanged farewells with Sturla at the conclusion of his engagements.
After presiding over a final mass at the Catedral Santuario Nacional de Nuestra Señora de los Treinta y Tres in Florida, the Pope traveled to Carrasco International Airport. President Orsi bade him farewell on the tarmac before the pontiff boarded his flight to Argentina.