Pope Leo 14 asks men to treat their wives with respect

Pope Leo 14 asked this Sunday (8) that men treat their wives "with respect" during his first trip to Latin America. In the region, 11 women are murdered on average every day as a result of gender-based violence, according to the most recent survey by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC).

"Dear fathers and grandfathers, young people need to see you pray, approach the sacraments, treat your wives with respect, ask for forgiveness and live honestly, even when that requires sacrifices," said the head of the Catholic Church during an open-air mass in Florida, a city about 100 km from Montevideo.

In 2024, at least 3,828 women suffered violent deaths for gender reasons in Latin America and the Caribbean, according to ECLAC data. The number is equivalent to an average of 11 murders per day, and the total accumulated over the last five years in the region reaches almost 20 thousand femicides, according to the commission. The majority of violent deaths are committed by the victims' partners or ex-partners.

On a cold and sunny morning, thousands of faithful filled the city's main square for the closing mass of the papal visit to Uruguay, the most secular country in Latin America. The atmosphere was familiar and festive. "Pope Leo, we love you very much!" the crowd of around 50,000 people shouted in chorus, according to local authorities cited by the Vatican.

"I think it's very important that the pope came, as it reinforces the presence of the Church in our country," Ivanna Fisichella, 22, told AFP.

Evangelina Campero, 57, highlighted "the effort the pope is making" on his intense trip to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru, just three weeks after lung cancer surgery. “The message is to give it your all,” he said.

The pontiff was in Florida for the celebration of the Virgin of the 33, a 36-centimeter image carved in cedar which, according to tradition, comes from the Guaraní Jesuit missions and has been linked, since 1825, to Uruguay's independence from the Spanish colony. Celebrated on the second Sunday of November, the Virgin was proclaimed patron saint of the country by John 23, in 1961.