Pope Leo XIV’s sixth international apostolic journey – the longest of his pontificate so far, undertaken just three weeks after surgery for a lung tumour – began amid huge crowds. In Uruguay – the first of the three countries he will visit over 12 days, along with Argentina and Peru – 30,000 people accompanied him on the drive from Montevideo airport to Independence Square, the heart of the city. Before the monument to the father of the nation, José Gervasio Artigas, Leo ran through all the main themes facing one of South America’s most secularised countries, which has celebrated 40 years of uninterrupted democracy.
“Do not be afraid of ‘forever’, be saints”,
he urged young people at the prayer vigil in Montevideo’s Centenario Stadium, in front of 100,000 people. In Florida, in the homily of the final Mass, the Pope addressed women: “Thank you for having believed and for having kept open a path to God in so many families. Mothers and grandmothers: never tire of passing on the faith!”
“We cannot always wait for those who have strayed to return on their own”,
was his parting message, followed by an appeal: “People of Uruguay: you must set out on the journey!”
“Public authority finds its raison d’être in service to the common good”, the Pope said in his first address in Uruguay.
“Peace is possible and we are called to build it”,
was his unscheduled, off-the-cuff message to the faithful gathered outside the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary in Paysandú, where Leo made a brief stop. At the first Mass he celebrated in the country, before 40,000 people in Paysandú’s Parque París Londres – one of the most populous cities in Uruguay and a major destination for Italian immigrants – the Pope paid tribute to the “gaucho bishop”, Blessed Jacinto Vera, whose body rests in Montevideo Cathedral, where Leo celebrated Vespers with the clergy. Bridges, palm groves and mate, the traditional herbal tea: these were the three symbols he evoked. “Be bridges, be a fraternal community that comes together and shares life, projects, dreams and hopes, especially with those most in need.” Those most in need include the residents of Casavalle, one of the poorest districts of the Uruguayan capital, where Leo blessed 12 homes for families in economic hardship, built thanks to the efforts of the parish of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
“We cannot turn a blind eye to the fact that there are children in Uruguay who do not go to school for fear of never returning home”, he warned: “We cannot silence our conscience when we see a mother lacking the means to feed her children. We cannot ignore the many people around us who are suffering, alone and vulnerable.”
No to abortion and euthanasia. The invitation issued in Independence Square, “to reflect on life that is just beginning, as well as life still developing in the mother’s womb”, was renewed at the meeting with the education community at the Catholic University of Uruguay: “We need to proclaim anew that
human life must be respected at every stage and in every condition.
No one is to be rejected.” His stance against the so-called right to die was clear and firm: he said that “it is everyone’s responsibility to ensure that each person can live with dignity, receive the care they need, and be accompanied until the natural end of his or her life”, adding that the Church “wishes to cooperate with all those who work to alleviate suffering whenever possible, and to support the individual in cases when suffering cannot be eliminated”.
Fighting suicide. “Given the painful reality of suicide, it is clear that adequate health care, family ties, and the closeness of the community are inseparable”, he said, referring to one of the country’s scourges: the rise in suicides, especially among the young. “Loneliness, anxiety and the loss of hope can become so profound that a person no longer sees a reason to continue living”, was Leo XIV’s analysis: “None should ever feel like a stranger among their own or think that their absence matters less than their presence.”
Health care for all. As he had done in conversation with journalists on the flight from Rome to Montevideo, the Pope referred to his current state of health: “Recently I experienced firsthand the limitations imposed by illness and I received care for which I am deeply grateful. That experience makes me think of the many men and women who lack the means to obtain a timely diagnosis or receive the treatments they need.” “Ensuring that health care is accessible to everyone, regardless of their resources, is a duty that confronts every society”, was his appeal.
“Work is ‘for man’ and not man ‘for work’”. This principle, for the Pope, “remains as relevant as ever in the face of rapid changes in technology and artificial intelligence”, so that “the laborer is not reduced to a mere expendable cog in the production process”.
Secularity means sharing. “The creation of wealth, investment and economic initiative – both public and private – are necessary for a country’s development, yet their benefits must also translate into goods and opportunities that effectively reach everyone”, a reference to the themes of social justice and of a secularity understood as sharing. “In an age when differences can easily become a source of conflict, persevering in respect for the law, negotiation and the patient search for agreements is a service that Uruguay can continue to offer its neighbors”: a tribute to the country that hosts the Mercosur Secretariat, the South American trade bloc, and to its commitment to “fostering opportunities for understanding and cooperation in the region”.
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