Pope in Uruguay: Difficult mission for Leo XIV.

The welcome was warm when Pope Leo XIV stepped out of his Popemobile, accompanied by Uruguay's head of state Yamandú Orsi. Just a few weeks after his lung cancer operation, his central message was also a very personal one: "Illness, disability, physical pain, loss of independence, poverty, unemployment or exclusion can make the help of other people particularly necessary," said the Pope.

He recently experienced first-hand the limitations that illness can bring. “I was able to experience care and support, for which I am deeply grateful.”

Half-empty place for the opening ceremony

A society that cares about the poorest, the weak, the environment, the common good. This message falls on fertile ground in a country like Uruguay, the most stable democracy in the region and a welfare state. And yet the Plaza de Independencia, Montevideo's main square, was only half full for the opening ceremony.

This wasn't just due to the icy south wind that whistled through Montevideo's streets, explains 26-year-old Franco Díaz: "As a country, we don't have an official religion, it's a decision for each individual. As Catholics, we are in the minority. But seeing the Pope here is a very, very strong call, especially for us young Catholics. I believe that this is a seed that will sprout."

"In Uruguay the church is marginal"

This may be one of the reasons why Pope Leo chose Uruguay, the most secular country in South America, to start his trip. A country where abortion is unpunished, euthanasia is legal and religious symbolism is banned in public spaces. In 2024 there was not a single candidate for the seminary.

"In Uruguay the church is marginal," says Padre Coimbra, who works as a pastor in Montevideo's Casavalle slum. It is entirely possible for a person to reach adulthood without ever having heard anything about God, said Coimbra. "One could compare the situation with that of the first Christians, who had to proselytize in a pagan world."

Casavalle are dirt streets, simple houses with corrugated iron roofs. The area only appears in the news in connection with crime and drug trafficking. But this is exactly where the church is needed, says Coimbra.

Church as a kind of social NGO?

Emergency response to Doña María Carmen in Casavalle. A short circuit was followed by a fire and one of the 73-year-old's rooms burned out. After her daughter's death, she looks after her granddaughters with a measly pension. She is happy that the padre stops by every now and then. She simply doesn't have time to go to mass herself, explains Carmen.

Being present here on the fringes is a priority of the diocese, says Padre Coimbra. A group of priests works with him and helps when there is a fire.

But there is a problem, says the padre in a leather jacket, full beard and jeans. "We are sometimes simply perceived as a kind of social NGO." There was a failure, namely in evangelization, says Coimbra. "A lot of social work has been done, but we have neglected the explicit proclamation of our faith. And that is the engine that drives each of us here." The greatest treasure that the Church can give to humanity and that only it can give is Christ.

Pope: Passing on faith to future generation

Getting more people to believe again is also a concern of Pope Leo's first major mass in Paysandú on the border with Argentina: "Dear brothers and sisters, we must reflect on the symbols that we have in common, that give us identity and a sense of belonging, that tell us about our origins and show us the future." Faith has also always been part of the Uruguayan people and it is necessary to pass it on to future generations with creative courage, said the Pope. Later in the day he also visits the Casavalle slum in Montevideo.