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Pope Leo Urges Catholics to Stay Faithful in Secular Uruguay
Confirmed
In Short: Pope Leo XIV urged Uruguayan Catholics to remain faithful and virtuous during his visit to the country, one of Latin America's most secular societies.
Pope Leo today: Don’t be afraid to say, “I am Catholic!". EWTN News
At an evening prayer vigil in Montevideo, the pope addressed about 70,000 people, with an additional 30,000 following nearby.
The pope also encouraged Catholics to reach out to those who have drifted away from the Church, noting that their faith could inspire others to seek God.
Leo XIV visited several communities and spoke at the Catholic University of Uruguay, focusing on the intellectual formation of young people in the Church.
Pope Leo XIV also celebrated Mass in Florida, Uruguay, before flying to Buenos Aires, the second stop on his South American tour.
What this adds
Pope Leo XIV's visit to Uruguay, a country with deep secular roots, underscores the ongoing challenge of maintaining religious practice in a largely secular society.
The pope's message of perseverance and community resonates with the broader context of Catholic social teaching, which emerged from the experiences of Catholics during the Industrial Revolution.
Leo XIV's visit also included a Mass in Paysandú, where he celebrated his first Mass in the Americas since his election as pope, drawing over 40,000 people.
Background
Pope Leo XIV celebrated Mass in Paysandú, Uruguay, on November 7, 2026, drawing over 40,000 people.
PAYSANDÚ, Uruguay — Pope Leo XIV on Saturday celebrated his first Mass in the Americas since his election as pope, choosing to do so not in a national capital but in a provincial border city, where he lauded and encouraged the simple faith of ordinary people.
What's confirmed
- Uruguay’s separation of church and state has roots in the late 19th century, when the government began reducing the Catholic Church’s influence over public institutions.
- VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Leo XIV received letters and messages from individuals detained in a United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE) processing facility near Chicago and from Catholics active in providing immigrants and refugees with spiritual and pastoral support.
What's still developing
- Uruguay is one of Latin Americaʼs most secular societies, where a majority of people have no affiliation with organized religion and the official state calendar has renamed Catholic holidays with secular terms, such as substituting Tourism Week for Holy Week.
- “Perhaps there are people who would never open a Bible on their own, who have not set foot in a church in years, or who cannot even say whether they believe in God. But when they see you, the desire for God may be awakened in them; they may even discover that it is worth risking their lives to find him,” the pope said.
- “Christ did not call us to mediocrity,” Leo said.
- May those who see you find themselves asking: ‘Why do they live in this way?
- The Pope’s homily was a reminder to Uruguay, one of Latin America’s most secular countries, where more than half the population is unaffiliated with organized religion, that the Catholic Church has deep roots in its history “From the earliest days of evangelization on this continent, [people of faith] arrived in the name of the Lord to proclaim the great joy they themselves had experienced in encountering Christ,” Leo said.
- “I know that many of you carry a very specific sorrow. You taught your children to pray, and today they no longer do so. You used to attend Mass together, and it has been years since they entered a church. You spoke to your grandchildren about God, and now you do not know if those words left a mark. Sometimes you wonder if you did something wrong or if it was all futile,” Pope Leo said in his homily.
- Though international pop star Céline Dion was touring through Paris the same nights as the pope, Leo drew a bigger crowd and a fervor tantamount to that of a rockstar at the Stade de France, inciting passionate cheers and more than a few teary eyes from the spectators.
- VATICAN CITY (OSV News) – One week after Pope Leo XIV first revealed to the world that he would be undergoing lung surgery, the pope returned to the window of the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace Oct. 18, thanking Catholics worldwide for their prayers five days after undergoing lung cancer surgery.
- With the May 8 election of Pope Leo XIV, many commentators noted that the last Leonine pontificate gave us Catholic social teaching, that branch of moral theology that rose out of the experience of Catholics during the Industrial Revolution.
- “Dear brothers and sisters, our faith in Christ tells us that our bond with the faithful departed is not severed, but transformed,” Pope Leo said at the Mass in the Campo Verano Cemetery, which covers more than 200 acres.
- Pope Leo XIV Meets the Chicago Catholics Who Sued Trump to Minister to ICE Detainees Subscribe Sign in Pope Leo XIV Meets the Chicago Catholics Who Sued Trump to Minister to ICE Detainees The Chicago delegation carried a banner quoting his call for a “holy rebellion” and handed him letters from detainees.
- MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay, Nov 7 – Pope Leo XIV has resumed overseas travel following lung surgery, beginning a demanding 12-day apostolic journey across Uruguay, Argentina and Peru, where he has sought to reassure the faithful about his recovery while calling for renewed commitment to the Church’s mission.
Sources
- Ewtnnewslink
- MercoPresslink
- NPRlink
- National Catholic Registerlink
- OSV Newslink
- The Catholic Telegraphlink
- Ncronlinelink
- Detroitcatholiclink
- OSV Newslink
- Stlouisreviewlink
- Cathstanlink
- Cathnewslink
- Ncregisterlink
- Dioceseofscrantonlink
- Thelettersfromleolink
- Ewtnvaticanlink
- EWTN News — video link
- The Daily Pope — video link