Pope Leo XIV Draws 40,000 to First Mass in South America in Uruguay

Pope Leo XIV celebrated his first Mass in South America on Saturday, drawing about 40,000 people to a park in the Uruguayan city of Paysandú — less than a month after lung cancer surgery that had put his whole 12-day tour of the continent in doubt.

The 71-year-old American pope used the Mass to urge the crowd to become “builders of bridges”, and he paid tribute to one of the region’s most loved traditions: mate, the bitter herbal tea that Uruguayans, Argentines and Paraguayans share from a single gourd. It was the first visit by a pope to Uruguay in 38 years, and the first time any pope had ever visited Paysandú.

The Mass was the centrepiece of the first full day of a three-nation tour that will also take Pope Leo to Argentina and Peru. By the end of Saturday he had also visited one of Montevideo’s poorest neighbourhoods and drawn an estimated 100,000 people to a prayer vigil in the stadium where Uruguay won the first football World Cup in 1930.

A small city, a very big crowd

Paysandú is a city of about 80,000 people on the east bank of the Uruguay River, around 375 kilometres (230 miles) north-west of the capital, Montevideo. On Saturday morning, the crowd that gathered in its Parque París Londres was equal to about half the city’s entire population.

More than 30,000 people had registered in advance to attend the Mass, according to the Associated Press. The Vatican said about 10,000 more turned up on the day, despite morning rain and blustery grey skies. Many had crossed the river from Argentina, or travelled from Brazil and from across Uruguay, to be there.

The choice of Paysandú was deliberate. Papal trips usually run through national capitals, but Pope Leo opened the public part of his South American tour in a provincial border city. Across the river sits the Argentine city of Colón, linked to Paysandú by the General Artigas International Bridge — a bridge the pope pointed to during his homily.

Paysandú was also chosen because it is accessible: a river city that people from three countries could reach. The gates opened at 5:30 in the morning, and by the time the Mass began, the park was full.

Bridges, palm groves and mate

Pope Leo built his homily around three images drawn from the landscape his listeners live in: bridges, palm groves and mate.

He pointed to the General Artigas Bridge and told the crowd: “That is why it is so important to be builders of bridges!” According to the Holy See’s bulletin, he urged them to “continue the mission of evangelization with enthusiasm. Be bridges, so that many may encounter Jesus.”

He also honoured Blessed Jacinto Vera, Uruguay’s first bishop, whom he remembered as the “gaucho bishop” — a priest who spent years on horseback crossing the young republic in the 19th century to reach communities no bishop had visited before him.

Then he turned to mate, the bitter tea that Uruguayans carry everywhere and pass from hand to hand in a single gourd, sipped through a metal straw called a bombilla.

“Mate is a sign of familiarity, friendship and encounter,” he said. “It teaches us to share and to be together, strengthening the bonds that unite us as brothers and sisters.”

When he added that mate “has even made its way to Rome”, the crowd laughed. The reference was also a quiet nod to Pope Francis, the Argentine pope who died in April 2025 and loved the drink, often sipping from gourds that pilgrims handed him in St Peter’s Square.

The message was simple, and it matched the place. In a border city, in a country where the faith is a minority pursuit, the pope asked Catholics to be connectors: between people, between countries, and between the Church and those who have drifted away from it.

A tour that almost did not happen

The whole trip had been in doubt until recently. Pope Leo underwent lung cancer surgery on 13 October, and questions hung over whether a 12-day tour of three countries was wise so soon afterwards.

He arrived in Uruguay on Friday, landing at Montevideo’s Carrasco airport, where he was greeted by President Yamandú Orsi and two children offering flowers. The Vatican estimated about 30,000 people turned out on that first day.

On Saturday, the pope showed no sign of holding back. After the Mass in Paysandú, he flew back to Montevideo, stopped at a home for about 20 elderly and ailing diocesan priests, and then drove to Casavalle, a neighbourhood on the city’s northern edge.

Casavalle is one of the poorest parts of Montevideo, and one of the most violent. There, church groups have built homes, provided job opportunities and run drug rehabilitation programmes. The pope spent time with families there, blessing them and listening to their stories, before heading to the evening vigil.

The day ended at the Estadio Centenario, the stadium where Uruguay won the first World Cup in 1930. Local authorities counted about 100,000 people for the prayer vigil — roughly 70,000 inside the stadium and another 30,000 watching on screens outside, according to the Associated Press.

Earlier in the day, the pope had also spoken to young people, urging them to marry and start families and not to fear lifelong commitment. Uruguay has seen a sharp decline in birth rates, and the pope’s message was aimed squarely at a generation that is putting off marriage and children.

Why Uruguay matters

Uruguay is a country of about 3.5 million people, and it is the most secular country in Latin America, according to the Associated Press. The separation between church and state runs deep: even Catholic holidays have secular names, and God cannot be mentioned in oaths of office.

That is why the visit matters so much to the Catholic Church. A pope had not set foot in Uruguay since Pope John Paul II came in 1988 — 38 years ago. In a country where the Church has a small public footprint, a papal visit is a rare chance to raise its profile and to speak directly to people who may rarely hear from it.

The aim of the trip, as the Associated Press reported, is to propose the Catholic faith as a response to today’s challenges, and to present the Church as a willing helper in a country where faith is a private matter for most people.

The choice of Paysandú fits that aim. Instead of speaking only to the capital’s crowds, the pope went to a working river city on the border, where ordinary people live, and he spoke in images they use every day: bridges, palm trees and a shared gourd of mate.

What happens next

Pope Leo’s tour continues to Argentina and then to Peru, where he spent years as a missionary and bishop before being elected pope. The Peru leg is expected to be the most personal part of the journey: a homecoming to the country where he served for decades and where many people still remember him as their bishop.

In Argentina, the birthplace of his predecessor Pope Francis, he will be walking in the footsteps of the man whose style — and whose love of mate — he echoed in Paysandú.

For now, the Uruguay leg has already delivered what the Vatican will have hoped for: huge crowds, warm weather for the welcome, and a pope who looks strong enough to carry a demanding schedule less than a month after major surgery.

The image of the day was not in the cathedral or the presidential palace. It was in a park in a border city, where 40,000 people stood in the rain to hear an American pope talk about bridges and a shared cup of tea — and then went home across a bridge of their own.

Frequently asked questions

Where did Pope Leo celebrate his first Mass in South America?

In Paysandú, Uruguay, at Parque París Londres, on Saturday 7 November 2026. About 40,000 people attended, according to the Vatican.

Why did he choose Paysandú?

Paysandú is a border city of about 80,000 people on the Uruguay River, facing Argentina. It is accessible to pilgrims from Uruguay, Argentina and Brazil, and no pope had ever visited it before.

What did he say in his homily?

He urged the crowd to be “builders of bridges” and built his message around three local images: bridges, palm groves and mate tea. He called mate “a sign of familiarity, friendship and encounter”.

When was the last papal visit to Uruguay?

The last visit by a pope to Uruguay was by Pope John Paul II in 1988 — 38 years ago.

Where is Pope Leo going next?

His 12-day South American tour continues to Argentina and then to Peru, where he served as a missionary and bishop for many years before becoming pope.

Why was the tour in doubt?

Pope Leo underwent lung cancer surgery on 13 October 2026, less than a month before the tour began. His recovery has been closely watched, but he has kept a full schedule in Uruguay.

Conclusion

Pope Leo XIV’s first Mass in South America was a carefully chosen moment: a border city, a crowd half the size of the city itself, and a message built from the things people there share every day. Bridges, palm groves and mate may seem like small symbols, but they carried a big message — that faith is something to share, like the gourd passed from hand to hand.

In the most secular country in Latin America, 40,000 people stood in the rain to hear it. And by Saturday night, 100,000 more had gathered in Montevideo’s great stadium to pray with a pope who, only weeks after surgery, is showing the world he intends to keep going.

Sources

• Al Jazeera — https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/11/7/pope-leo-hold-first-mass-in-uruguay-urges-crowd-to-be-bridge-builders?traffic_source=rss
• AP via Bastille Post — https://www.bastillepost.com/global/article/6336315-thousands-pour-into-a-park-in-uruguay-for-pope-leos-first-mass-in-south-america
• Times of India — https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/falling-birth-rates-fading-faith-pope-leos-message-to-uruguays-youth/articleshow/135649712.cms
• The Letters from Leo — https://www.thelettersfromleo.com/p/builders-of-bridges-pope-leo-xiv

This article is for general information and education only. It is not legal or financial advice.