Pope Leo XIV opens South America tour with Mass in Uruguay before Argentina

First Mass in Paysandú

On Saturday, 7 November 2026, Pope Leo XIV celebrated his first Mass of a 12-day tour of South America in Paysandú, a city on the Uruguay River about 375 kilometres west of Montevideo. The Vatican said about 40,000 people attended, after 30,000 people from Uruguay, Argentina and Brazil had registered in advance and another 10,000 came despite morning rain. In his homily the 71-year-old pontiff urged the crowd to act as bridge builders, an image that drew on the bridge linking Paysandú to Argentina. He asked parents and churches to pass the faith on to children and young people, to support families and to look after the elderly. Al Jazeera reported that he also praised mate, the shared tea, as a practice that teaches people to share and be together.

Health and the trip

Leo underwent lung cancer surgery on 13 October, according to Deutsche Welle, and the trip had been in doubt after the operation. On the flight from Rome to Montevideo on Friday, 6 November, he told reporters he felt in good form and credited his recovery to trust in God, good doctors and surgeons, and a healthy lifestyle. The Vatican has described the visit as a return home, since the first US-born pope spent almost two decades in Peru as a missionary and holds Peruvian citizenship. He described Peru as one of his many homes and said he looked forward to seeing old friends and new developments there. The three-country visit runs until 17 November, according to Público.

Montevideo and Argentina

On Friday he was greeted in Montevideo by President Yamandú Orsi, and thousands cheered as he rode a popemobile along the waterfront. Central Independence Square stayed half empty even though many people came to see him. On Saturday he is due to visit Casavalle, a Montevideo neighbourhood with the capital's highest homicide rate according to HotNews, where the Church has invested in public housing and addiction rehabilitation. That evening he is to lead a prayer vigil at Centenary Stadium, where about 60,000 people are expected. On Sunday, 8 November, he travels to Argentina, where he is due to meet President Javier Milei, a free-market advocate and close ally of Donald Trump.

Bolivian abuse allegations

The Bolivian Survivors Community (CBS) sent an open letter to Pope Leo XIV on Saturday asking for a "fair and definitive" response to abuse allegations that mainly concern Jesuits who worked in Bolivia. The group said earlier reports to the Bolivian Episcopal Conference, the Apostolic Nunciature and Cardinal Toribio Ticona had not produced an adequate institutional response. It alleged that nearly 150 victims were abused at the Tacata orphanage in Cochabamba by at least five Jesuits, and that 400 victims were identified at the Juan XXIII school in the same city. It also cited 150 further victims at the Colonia Piraí children's home in eastern Santa Cruz and 35 more linked to an NGO led by a priest. The group asked the pope to make time during his South American trip to hear the victims.