Pope Leo XIV gathers crowds in Uruguay on first visit to South America

Pope Leo XIV ended the second day of his visit to South America with a night vigil at the Centenario Stadium in Montevideo.

Papa, an easy word, that captivated Luzia from an early age.

Reporter: "Who are you going to see today, Luzia?"

Luzia: "The Pope Leo".

Reporter: "Do you like Pope Leo?"

Luzia: "Yes."

Many people agree with her. Catholic or not, Uruguayans feel honored with the Pope's choice, happy to be the first to welcome him to South America. "For us, Catholics, it is very special and historic. We were able to cry just with his presence", says influencer Frederico Torres.

"It's a reference for believers and non-believers. It's a historic moment, I'm very happy to be here", says lawyer Felipe Piltcher.

Happiness is reciprocal. Not even the wind and bad weather could dampen the spirit of the Holy Father, who this Saturday (7) celebrated his first mass as Pope on South American soil.

On the way, pilgrims on horseback, the gauchos, the people of the pampa. In front of them and the crowd, Leo XIV showed signs of being emotional.

He chose a symbolic location for this moment: Paysandú, a border city, on the banks of the Uruguay River. A perfect place to bring neighbors together, along with Uruguayans, Argentines and Brazilians.

Before the united peoples, the Pope spoke of the importance of building bridges to overcome the differences between human beings.

"Build bridges, strengthen ties, unite, communicate, transmit the joy of faith."

He continued the homily remembering a habit that unites Brazilian gauchos, Argentines and Uruguayans: mate.

Leo XIV said that the mate arrived in Rome, perhaps a reference to Pope Francis, and drew laughter from the crowd.

But the Pope wasn't kidding. He said that the gesture of sharing mate is a symbol of union and friendship, and even a suitable moment for prayer.

Back in Montevideo, the Holy Father was in the Casavalle neighborhood, a region known for social and economic inequality and a high rate of violence.

The Pope went to the Parish of Our Lady of Guadalupe, a special saint for Leo XIV, who was ordained bishop on the feast day of Guadalupe, in 2014.

Last year, when he became Pope, he dedicated his pontificate to the Virgin.

Leão highlighted parish projects, such as building houses for low-income families.

Before leaving, he greeted a line of wheelchair users, elderly people and religious people. Afterwards, he had a meeting with educators and young people at the Catholic University.

Meanwhile, a crowd was already waiting for him, for the main moment of Pope Leo's visit to Uruguay. A vigil at the Centenário Stadium, surrounded by people and faith.

Catholics are a minority in a secular and secularized country, but when they come together to celebrate their faith they form a striking image.

The 60,000 free tickets to see the Pope sold out in less than 3 hours. And they are willing to wait much longer in line to fill the stadium for the first World Cup in the Uruguayans' biggest encounter with Leão XIV.

It's a stadium, there are fans. The difference is that this time everyone is rooting for Jesus.