Leo XIV celebrated Mass in Paysandú and held a vigil in Montevideo on Saturday during the first papal visit to Uruguay since 1988.
Pope Leo XIV urged Catholics in Uruguay to build ties across communities on Saturday, using the custom of sharing mate to describe how a small act of hospitality can bring people together. He spoke at an outdoor Mass in Paysandú on the second day of a 12-day journey through Uruguay, Argentina and Peru.
The day took him from a city on the Uruguay River near the Argentine border back to the capital, where he led an evening prayer vigil at Estadio Centenario. The Vatican has scheduled his departure for Argentina on Sunday.
The Paysandú homily drew on local traditions
At Parque París Londres, Leo addressed worshippers from Uruguay and pilgrims from neighbouring countries. He spoke of mate as a ritual that creates space for conversation and linked it to practical responsibilities for parishes, including supporting older people and accompanying families.
He also recalled Jacinto Vera, a former bishop of Montevideo. Leo pointed to Vera’s journeys on horseback to tend to the sick as an example of how clergy reached communities across a dispersed country. Vera was beatified in 2023 at Estadio Centenario, the venue for Saturday’s vigil.
A stadium with a place in Uruguay’s papal history
Leo arrived on Friday and met President Yamandú Orsi in Montevideo. He also attended vespers with members of Uruguay’s Catholic clergy at the metropolitan cathedral. Saturday’s vigil brought him to the stadium that hosted John Paul II during the previous papal visit in 1988.
The Vatican programme paired meetings with civil authorities with public worship outside the capital. Sunday’s plans include a stop in Florida before Leo leaves Uruguay.
Argentina and Peru are next
The Argentine leg runs through Wednesday, with events planned in Buenos Aires, Córdoba and Luján. It takes Leo to the home country of his predecessor, Pope Francis. The Vatican says the previous papal visit to Argentina was in 1987.
The final leg takes him to Peru, where he worked as a missionary and served as a bishop before his election as pope. The Vatican programme lists engagements with church communities and public authorities there before the journey concludes on 17 November.
Sources
Holy See — prayer vigil at Estadio Centenario
Holy See — Uruguay, Argentina and Peru itinerary
Reuters — Pope Leo’s visit to Uruguay
Vatican News — Jacinto Vera’s 2023 beatification in Montevideo
