Leo XIV becomes only the second pope to visit Uruguay
Leo XIV spent November 6 to 8 in Uruguay on the first leg of his South American trip, the first papal visit to the country since John Paul II traveled there in 1987 and 1988
Only two popes have ever set foot in Uruguay: John Paul II, who went twice, in 1987 and 1988, and Leo XIV, who visited from November 6 to 8, 2026, as the first leg of his apostolic trip to South America. That makes three papal visits in all, every one of them in the past four decades. No earlier pope had visited the country: not Paul VI, not John Paul I, not Benedict XVI. Pope Francis, despite his many trips to Latin America, never went to Uruguay either.
John Paul II opened the way in 1987
The first papal visit to Uruguay took place on March 31, 1987, when John Paul II landed at Carrasco International Airport during an apostolic trip that also included Chile and Argentina. President Julio María Sanguinetti and his wife, Marta Canessa, welcomed him. Stepping off the plane, John Paul II kissed the ground, as he did in every country he visited, and said: "Peace and prosperity for the whole Oriental Republic of Uruguay!"
He returned in 1988 for a second stay, the last of his two trips to the country. The exact dates of that second visit and the cities he traveled to could not be confirmed, although both the Vatican and the Uruguayan press record that it took place.
Leo XIV arrives after 38 years without a papal visit
On November 6, Leo XIV became the second pope to visit Uruguay, almost four decades after John Paul II's last trip. The country was the first stop on his South American tour, which continued in Argentina and will end in Peru. Only 38 percent of Uruguayans identify as Catholic, one of the lowest shares in Latin America.
In Montevideo, Leo XIV visited Casavalle, one of the poorest neighborhoods in the capital. The pope entrusted his Petrine ministry to Our Lady of the Thirty-Three, a Marian devotion with deep roots in Uruguay.
He also met young Uruguayans. At that gathering, Cardinal Daniel Sturla, the archbishop of Montevideo, told him that "Christ invites us to step onto the playing field of life." Leo XIV took part in an event with the local Augustinian community, the order he belongs to.
In his public remarks, the pope appealed to the faithful: "Do not grow tired of passing on the faith!" He also warned that "we cannot be indifferent to the suffering of others."
As the visit closed, Bishop Bauer said Uruguay was saying goodbye to the pope "with a grateful heart." Leo XIV left Montevideo for Buenos Aires on November 8. In his farewell message, he said he would keep praying for the well-being of the Uruguayan people.
Based on reporting by Almudena Buenadicha for Iglesia Noticias. This article was translated and adapted from Spanish with the help of artificial intelligence.
