Pope Leo XIV begins Latin America tour in Uruguay

Pope Leo XIV arrived in Uruguay on Friday for a 12-day tour of Latin America, three weeks after surgery for lung cancer. The 71-year-old, the first pope born in the United States, told reporters aboard his plane that he felt in "assez bonne forme".

Arrival and health care

Thousands of people waving Uruguayan and Vatican flags greeted him in a papamobile along Montevideo's seafront promenade toward Independence Square, where left-wing President Yamandu Orsi awaited him. The square remained half empty.

The pope said, "Veiller à ce que les soins de santé soient accessibles à chacun, quelles que soient ses ressources, est une responsabilité qui interpelle toute société". He also praised Uruguay's energy mix, "qui repose aujourd’hui presque entièrement sur des sources renouvelables", calling it "un résultat remarquable qui a nécessité des décisions soutenues pendant des années et la participation de divers secteurs du pays". Uruguay has 3,5 million inhabitants.

Suicide and violence

Uruguay has the highest suicide rate in Latin America. In his first address, the pope said, "La solitude, l’angoisse et la perte d’espoir peuvent devenir si profondes qu’une personne cesse de trouver des raisons de continuer à vivre". He added, "Face à la douloureuse réalité du suicide", public health, family and community are essential.

On Saturday, he walked through the Casavalle neighborhood, which has the country's highest homicide rate amid gang clashes over drug trafficking. He said, "un enfant de ce pays, si riche en ressources, ne devrait pas aller se coucher le ventre vide (...) et encore moins subir des violences au point d’en perdre la vie". Unicef reports that four children in ten live in poverty in Uruguay.

Family and AI

At a prayer vigil at Centenario stadium, the pope told young people, "Jeunes, osez vous-mêmes franchir le pas en vous mariant et en fondant une famille. N’ayez pas peur du +pour toujours+!".

At the Catholic University of Uruguay, he warned against a "déshumanisation" caused by AI use in education, urging schools and universities to make "passer la personne avant l’algorithme".

Why it matters

The tour continues to Argentina and Peru and is one of the most intense papal trips in recent decades. It takes place in Uruguay, the most secular country in the region, where only 35 percent of the population identifies as Catholic, compared with 55 percent in Argentina and 67 percent in Peru, according to Latinobarómetro.

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Sources

• lapresse.ca: Tournée en Amérique latine | Le pape Léon XIV se dit plutôt « en forme » et défend la santé pour tous
• vaticannews.va: Léon XIV exhorte les catholiques uruguayens à poursuivre l’évangélisation - Vatican News
• france24.com: En Uruguay, le pape dénonce la violence et appelle les jeunes à fonder une famille

This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.