Pope Leo XIV led a massive meeting this Saturday, November 7, in the Uruguayan city of Paysandú, near the border with Argentina, where he called for greater cooperation between the countries of the region amid political tensions. The visit is part of a 12-day tour of Uruguay, Argentina and Peru, during which he will address a series of problems such as political instability, the environment and arms trafficking.
First modification: 08/11/2026 - 03:06Last modification: 08/11/2026 - 03:06
Pope Leo
León, on an ambitious three-country tour that will last until November 17, traveled some 378 km on Saturday from Montevideo to Paysandú, a riverside economic center in northwest Uruguay, where crowds waited for him overnight under heavy rain that subsided shortly before his arrival. He is the first pope to visit the city.
The 71-year-old pontiff, who is making one of the most intense foreign trips by a Catholic leader in decades, less than a month after undergoing surgery for lung cancer, urged the people of Latin America to act with "justice, honesty and fidelity" toward one another.
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León, the first pope born in the United States, visits Uruguay until Sunday, the first stop on a tour that will also take him to Argentina and Peru. The Vatican has described the trip as a "homecoming" for León, who served as a missionary in Peru for decades and became a Peruvian citizen.
The pope, who in recent months has strongly criticized the direction of world leadership, is expected to address during his tour a number of issues affecting the continent, including environmental destruction, arms trafficking and regional political instability.
In his first speech of the trip, delivered to the Uruguayan government on Friday afternoon, he urged South American countries to address regional problems together and set an example of international cooperation.
León will return to Montevideo on Saturday afternoon to participate in several events, including a nighttime prayer vigil that is expected to draw some 60,000 young people.
On Sunday afternoon, the pope heads to Argentina, where he will meet and give a speech to President Javier Milei, a libertarian considered a close ally of U.S. President Donald Trump. Milei took aim harshly at León earlier this year after the pontiff criticized the war with Iran.
With Reuters
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