50,000 attend Mass in Uruguay as Pope Leo heads to Argentina

Pope Leo XIV ended his visit to Uruguay on Sunday in the city of Florida, north of Montevideo, before departing for Argentina.

The Vatican estimated that 50,000 people gathered in Florida's main square for the Mass, a number that exceeds the city's population of approximately 40,000. Many attendees walked several kilometers to reach the site under clear skies. The event marked the feast of the Virgin of the Thirty-three, commemorating the Guaraní statue that was present when Uruguay declared independence from the Brazilian empire on August 25, 1825.

During his homily at Florida's cathedral, Leo addressed mothers and grandmothers who have maintained Catholic traditions across generations. He acknowledged the difficulty of passing on the faith in a secular society, noting that some children no longer pray or attend Mass. He urged these women not to despair, stating, "Mothers and grandmothers: never tire of passing on the faith!" Fiama Pirez, an English professor who traveled from Montevideo, said she preferred the family outing in Florida to allow her mother to see the pope.

Leo's next stop is Buenos Aires, where President Javier Milei is expected to greet him at the airport. The meeting is anticipated to be delicate due to the Catholic Church's criticism of Milei's austerity program. Since taking office in December 2023, Milei has slashed Argentina's healthcare budget by 48% in real terms and cut social spending to address the economy's troubles.

Official data indicates that poverty reached 32.3% of Argentina's population, or about 15 million people, in the first half of 2026. Milei has described social justice as an aberration and called complaints about economic hardship "huge stupidity." In contrast, Leo has focused his papacy on the poor, following the legacy of his predecessor, Pope Francis, who served as the archbishop of Buenos Aires.

Tensions are further highlighted by posters in Buenos Aires reading "At last, a Lion who unites," a play on the Spanish word for Leo and the imagery Milei uses for himself. Karina Milei, the president's sister and secretary-general of the presidency, told reporters that the papal visit is purely religious and that the pope belongs to all Argentines. Leo's trip also completes a journey his predecessor, Francis, never made, as he returns to Peru after spending two decades there as a missionary.

Argentina's state intelligence agency reported on Saturday that a person was arrested over death threats against the pope. A federal court in Campana, about 70 kilometers northwest of Buenos Aires, ordered the arrest after receiving a tip, according to the agency.