Pope Leo XIV urges unity and peace at Uruguay Mass attended by 40,000

Pope Leo XIV called for peace, dialogue and community during a Mass attended by an estimated 40,000 people in Paysandú, Uruguay, the first major religious event of his 12-day tour of three South American countries. The service took place on Saturday morning in Parque París Londres despite heavy rain. The Vatican said 30,000 people from Uruguay, Argentina and Brazil had registered for the Mass, while local authorities and the Vatican estimated that a further 10,000 people attended without registration.

The 71-year-old pope travelled from the local airport in the popemobile, receiving cheers and blessing people along the route. “Peace is possible and we are called to build it,” Leo said during his homily, according to Euronews. He focused on unity and shared life, using familiar Uruguayan symbols to illustrate his message: the General Artigas bridge as a symbol of dialogue, palm trees growing together as an image of the Church, and mate as an emblem of friendship and encounter.

The Mass was dedicated to Blessed Jacinto Vera, Uruguay’s first bishop, who was appointed in 1878. DW reported that Leo had praised Vera on Friday for travelling through the countryside and helping poor people, saying those he met found “something of Christ’s goodness” in him. Leo’s visit comes as the Vatican seeks to renew interest in Catholicism in Uruguay, described by DW as South America’s most secular country.

The pope’s emphasis on charity and brotherly love appeared to appeal beyond regular churchgoers. One 18-year-old attendee quoted by AFP said he did not consider himself religious but valued Leo’s message and believed even non-believers could find something in it. The day’s programme continued with a visit to the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary, followed by travel to Montevideo.

There, Leo was scheduled to meet people in Casavalle, a neighbourhood affected by drug violence where the Church has supported public housing and rehabilitation projects. He was also due to meet representatives of education and academic institutions at the Catholic University of Uruguay. The pope’s Uruguay programme was to conclude with a prayer vigil at Montevideo’s Centenario Stadium, where organisers expected about 60,000 young people and other faithful.

Euronews reported that Leo was due to travel on Sunday to Florida, regarded as the birthplace of the nation’s independence and home to the National Shrine of the Virgen de los Treinta y Tres. He will then continue to Argentina, where DW said he is expected to meet President Javier Milei.