Second day in Uruguay for Pope Leo XIV. On his second day in Uruguay, the Pontiff invites us to be "bridge builders". In the homily of the mass in Paysandú, where the 'General Artigas' international bridge is located, which crosses the Uruguay river and connects the country to Argentina, the Pontiff recalls "the benefits that a bridge generates: openness, communication, exchange. Therefore, how important it is to be bridge builders!".
For Leo XIV "this is the vocation to which we are all called: building bridges, strengthening bonds, uniting, communicating, transmitting the joy of faith". "Furthermore - added the Pope - it is necessary for the bridge to have good foundations, so that it does not succumb to the most impetuous currents".
In the homily he cites mate as a 'symbol of friendship'.
In his homily, the Pope mentioned mate, a typical drink of South America, "a symbol that is present in every home in this country, in every place of study and work, in every meeting between friends" and which is "a sign of familiarity, friendship and encounter. It teaches us to share and be together, to strengthen the bonds that unite us and make us brothers", "it is a sign of welcome, integration and common values". Leo It was Pope Francis who brought the tradition of mate to the Vatican, who willingly drank it even on public occasions, such as general audiences.
After mass the return to the capital Montevideo. Here the Pope will meet the community of Casavalle at 5pm, one of the most difficult social realities in the city. At 6pm (10pm Italian time) the Pope will go to the Catholic University of Uruguay for a meeting with the world of education. The day will end with a prayer vigil at the Centenary Stadium. The event will begin at 7pm, 11pm Italian time.
The keys to the city of Montevideo are handed over to the Pope.
Yesterday, Leo XIV received the keys to the city of Montevideo in a short ceremony in the Cabildo de Montevideo, the historic city hall of the Uruguayan capital. The Pope invited the Church to pray and fast for new vocations. "From this Cathedral of Montevideo, I invite my brother bishops from all over the world" - said Leone in his vespers homily - "to promote, in their dioceses, days of prayer and fasting for the increase in vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life". In Uruguay in 2024 there were no candidates to enter the seminary and there were many prayer initiatives. "May parishes, families and religious communities unite in this invocation, and may the example of this land encourage many others to pray with the same trust", was the Pope's appeal.
"A historic visit". This is the concept that is mostly repeated today on the front pages of the newspapers of Uruguay and the Latin American region the morning after the arrival of Pope Leo XIV on South American soil. The local newspaper El País dedicates its entire front page to the Pontiff and underlines that "a multitude of people welcomed the Pope in the streets upon his arrival" and that in his first speech in the country of Leo "he called for the family, the common good and work". Uruguay is known for being one of the most 'secular' countries in the South American region, with advanced legislation regarding civil rights but, as El Observador underlines, in front of His Holiness "The (progressive) President Yamandú Orsi recognized the social value of the Church". "We know well that in this common project that is Uruguay, the Church has represented a fundamental pillar", stated the president. Precisely this last aspect is the subject of an editorial in the newspaper La Diaria entitled "The secular interest of the papal visit". "In this era of transition that leaves us disoriented, the meaning of Leo Even in Argentina the main newspapers reflect the enormous enthusiasm for the arrival of Leo XIV in the country. "The Pope is already making history in the region", is the five-column headline today in the newspaper La Nacion, whose subtitle speaks of 'great anticipation for the Pope's arrival in the country tomorrow'. Clarin reports the arrival of thousands of Argentines to see the Pope in the Uruguayan town of Paysandú, near the binational border along the Uruguay River. 'In the rain the Argentinians cross the border: thousands of faithful are expected at Leo XIV's mass in Paysandú. An article from the Infobae portal instead highlights the political climate in which the Pontiff's visit to Argentina will take place, underlining that "(President) Milei is preparing to welcome the Pope" amid "expectations and concerns". "The agenda develops against the backdrop of internal political tensions and fundamental disagreements on issues such as technology, poverty and the role of the state." The anticipation for the Pope's imminent arrival is also reflected today in the main newspapers in Peru, the third and final stage of the Pontiff's pastoral trip to the region. "The Pope blesses Peru upon his arrival in South America", reports the newspaper El Comercio, while La Repubica speaks of "great joy" for the visit of Leo XIV to Uruguay.
