Pope condemns violence in Uruguay... “Young people, have courage and get married”

Pope Leo XIV strongly condemned violence and poverty in Uruguay on the 7th (local time), the second day of his trip to South America.

According to AFP, the Pope visited Montevideo's Casabaye region on this day and emphasized, "In a country rich in resources like this, children should not go to bed hungry, much less experience violence that could lead to loss of life."

The murder rate in Casabaye, a region where the poor live, is four times the national average.

Residents met with the Pope and complained earnestly and vividly about the everyday gun violence and danger. Uruguay, which is considered a relatively safe and wealthy country in Latin America, has seen its murder rate soar in recent years due to rampant cocaine trafficking.

The Pope lamented the reality in which even children are exposed to violence, saying, “There are children in Uruguay who do not go to school for fear of not being able to return home.”

The Pope blessed 12 newly built low-income homes funded by the Vatican and told residents, "I feel like I'm home when I'm with you. It brings back memories of visiting various communities as a missionary."

At a candlelight prayer service held at Montevideo's Centenario Stadium this evening, the Pope urged the 60,000 believers who filled the stadium, saying, "Young people must have courage to get married and start their own families."

He also pointed out that secularization is worsening in Latin America, where there are many Catholics.

According to public opinion research firm Latinobarometro, the percentage of people in Latin America who identify as Catholic has fallen from 80% to 55% over the past 30 years.

At a Mass held in Paysandu, a city in northwestern Uruguay, the Pope singled out secularization and asked Catholics to become “bridge builders.”

Referring to the local tradition of drinking mate tea from a gourd container with a metal straw, he joked that “mate tea has made its way to Rome,” drawing applause.

The Catholic University of Uruguay emphasized that artificial intelligence (AI) should serve human dignity. In particular, he warned of dehumanization caused by the use of AI in the field of education and urged that schools and universities should prioritize people over algorithms.

The Pope, who was born in the United States and worked as a missionary in South America for nearly 20 years, is on a 12-day visit to the region. After visiting Argentina, the home country of the late Pope Francis, on the 8th, he heads to Peru, where he served as a bishop.