Pope Leo XIV urged an estimated 40,000 Catholic faithful in Uruguay on Saturday to act as bridge builders
of fraternity and faith. Speaking during his first Mass in South America at Paris London Park in Paysandú, the 71-year-old pontiff used the ceremony to address the challenges of evangelization in one of the region’s most secular nations.
The service marked the beginning of a 12-day apostolic journey through Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru. The trip follows the pope’s October 13 surgery to remove a tumor from his lung, a medical event that had led some in the Vatican to believe his trip to Latin America would be postponed or its schedule adjusted, CNN reported.
A message of unity in a secular society
During his homily, Leo XIV drew inspiration from the nearby General Artigas International Bridge connecting Uruguay and Argentina. He suggested that the vocation of the faithful is to build bridges, strengthen bonds, unite, communicate and share the joy of faith,
OSV News reported.
Pope Leo XIV departed Rome for Uruguay on the morning of Nov. 6 at the start of a 12-day trip to South America, the longest international journey of his pontificate, a little over three weeks after undergoing surgery for lung cancer. The Nov. 6-17 trip will be his first visit to…
Uruguay presents a unique challenge for the Catholic Church. In this country, where secularism is the norm, even Catholic holidays have secular names, according to the Vatican, which noted that Catholics are a minority in the nation, where almost half the population professes no faith at all. In his remarks, Leo emphasized the need to reach the people and suggested that the faith must be passed to future generations with creative courage.
During his visit, the Pope also addressed the country's political and social conditions. Standing alongside President Yamandú Orsi, the leader of the centre-left Broad Front party that took power in March 2025, Leo defended life from conception to natural death. This address comes as Uruguay, which became the first country in Latin America to legalize euthanasia a year ago, continues to pass progressive legislation. The Pope also used his time in Plaza Independencia to lament Uruguay’s high suicide rates and stated that universal healthcare should be accessible to everyone,
noting that his own medical care made him think of those who lack the means for timely diagnosis or treatment.
Pope Leo XIV recalled Uruguay’s first bishop who “bore faithful witness to the faith” and renewed evangelization in the South American country, where Catholics today are a minority and almost half the population professes no faith at all. The pope, celebrating Mass in the city…
The pope maintains good health during international tour
Despite recent surgery, the pope appeared in good health during the Saturday service. While traveling from Rome to Montevideo, he told reporters he was in pretty good health and “very happy” to be making the trip. He noted that he had no doubts about the journey from the start and credited the marvelous medical staff for his condition.
The 71-year-old pope, who holds both U.S. and Peruvian citizenship, is undertaking his sixth international tour. The area, located on the northern outskirts of the capital, faces high rates of violent clashes between rival trafficking gangs and substance dependency. As the Pope walked through the neighborhood, observing houses with unfinished construction and corrugated metal roofing, the crowd chanted, León, amigo, el barrio está contigo!
He urged Uruguayans to shake off apathy towards poverty and inequality and help those in need.
The Pope’s arrival in Uruguay followed a nearly 14-hour flight from Rome, landing at Carrasco International Airport at 4:20 p.m. local time on Friday. He was welcomed by President Yamandú Orsi, and the aircraft was adorned with the flags of both the Vatican and Uruguay.
The itinerary ahead in Argentina and Peru
Following his time in Uruguay, the pope is scheduled to travel to Argentina on Sunday. The Vatican has scheduled his stay in Argentina from November 8-11. During his time there, he is expected to meet with President Javier Milei, a close ally of Donald Trump and a proponent of free markets. The Pope’s visit to Argentina, the homeland of his predecessor Pope Francis, is expected to draw massive crowds, with more than a million people anticipated to attend his Mass in Buenos Aires.
The final leg of the tour will take the pontiff to Peru from November 11-17. The Vatican has described the Peruvian portion of the trip as a “homecoming.” Before his election in May 2025, the Pope served in Peru for approximately two decades as an Augustinian missionary and as the Bishop of Chiclayo from 2015 to 2023. During his time there, he was known as Robert Prevost. The tour in Peru will include visits to the former Inca capital of Cusco and the Amazon rainforest. He also plans to revisit his former life by attending a supper with priests from his old diocese and visiting a chapel he helped rebuild. In Chiclayo, he is expected to pray at a chapel dedicated to St. Óscar Romero. Estimates suggest around 1.2 million people may attend his final Mass of the trip at the Las Palmas Airbase in Lima.
🚨 POPE LEO XIV URGES SOUTH AMERICA TO BRIDGE POLITICAL AND SOCIAL DIVIDES During his 12-day tour of Uruguay, Argentina and Peru, Pope Leo XIV called for unity, dialogue and solidarity. Addressing thousands in Uruguay, he said shared traditions “teach us to share and to be… pic.twitter.com/CmewC6Ez7b
More on Pope Leo XIV
Pope Leo urges South America to bridge divides on Uruguay stop of 12-day tour @sightmagazine #SouthAmerica #PopeLeoXIV #CatholicChurch #Uruguay #Montevideo #Paysandu #GeneralArtigasInternationalBridgehttps://t.co/UsvES43vsF