Pope Leo urges Uruguay to bridge divides on Latin America tour

· Politics · Uruguay

Pope Leo XIV urged Catholics in Uruguay to build bridges of faith and fraternity and urged healthcare for all on the second day of a 12-day tour of Uruguay, Argentina and Peru. Some 40,000 people gathered in the western city of Paysandu to hear him, the Vatican said. The pope said he felt better than he looked, three weeks after surgery for lung cancer, as he began the tour in the continent's most secular country. His visit to the Uruguay-Argentina border area also included a call to bridge national divides.

Why it matters：The pope's messages on health, poverty and unity carry weight in a region where the Church's influence is uneven.

Key points

  • The tour covers Uruguay, Argentina and Peru over 12 days.
  • About 40,000 attended the mass in Paysandu.
  • The pope spoke three weeks after lung cancer surgery.

Sources (original reporting)

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