Pope Leo XIV begins his first Latin America tour in Uruguay with a call for unity

Pope Leo XIV began his first tour of Latin America in Uruguay on Friday, a 12-day trip that will also take him to Argentina and Peru, with a call for unity among human beings and to give "due attention" to people suffering from illness, poverty, unemployment or social exclusion, according to CNN en Español.

The pontiff landed on Friday afternoon at Montevideo's Carrasco International Airport, where he was received by Uruguayan President Yamandú Orsi, and then rode in the popemobile along Montevideo's waterfront to Plaza Independencia, where the official welcome ceremony was held. It is the first visit by a pope to Uruguay in 38 years, since John Paul II in 1988.

In his message, Leo XIV defended universal access to health care and medical attention, the value of life and the protection of natural resources, and praised Uruguay's energy transformation toward renewable sources and the country's democratic stability. He also referred to Uruguay's high suicide rate and to euthanasia, recently approved in the country, saying that everyone deserves to receive care "until the natural end of life."

Saturday's agenda includes a Mass in Paysandú, at Parque París Londres, and meetings in Montevideo with social and education groups. On Sunday he will celebrate a Mass and have lunch with bishops before departing for Argentina, the second stop of the tour, which will conclude in Peru, the country where Leo XIV lived for about 20 years as a missionary and bishop.

Over the 12 days, the pope will take 14 flights and deliver nearly 40 speeches, all in Spanish. The tour, the first of the pontificate that began in May 2025, will run until November 17.

Photo: CNN

Source: CNN en Español