Pope Leo XIV encourages Uruguay to be ‘a community of prayer’

PAYSANDÚ, Uruguay — Pope Leo XIV on Saturday celebrated his first Mass in the Americas since his election as pope, choosing to do so not in a national capital but in a provincial border city, where he lauded and encouraged the simple faith of ordinary people.

In his first full day on a tour of three South American countries, Leo also honored Uruguay’s first bishop, Bl. Jacinto Vera, whom he remembered as the “gaucho bishop” who evangelized the region in the 19th century.

Pope Leo XIV delivers the homily at the papal Mass in Paysandú, Uruguay, Nov. 7, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN

The pope’s homily was a reminder to Uruguay, one of Latin America’s most secular countries, where more than half the population is unaffiliated with organized religion, that the Catholic Church has deep roots in its history.

“From the earliest days of evangelization on this continent, [people of faith] arrived in the name of the Lord to proclaim the great joy they themselves had experienced in encountering Christ,” Leo said. “Like the angels who appeared to the shepherds, they joyfully shared the Good News of the Gospel, expressing their faith through works of charity and mercy.”…