With an ode to mate, Pope Leo urges faithful in Uruguay to build bridges of fraternity and faith
Summary
Pope Leo XIV celebrated his first Mass in South America before an estimated 40,000 people in Paysandú, Uruguay, on Saturday. He urged people to strengthen Catholic faith and fraternity, using the shared ritual of drinking mate as a symbol of unity; later, he was scheduled to visit a Montevideo neighborhood where the church supports housing and addiction-recovery programs.Key Facts
- More than 30,000 people registered for the Mass, and the Vatican said about 10,000 more attended.
- Pilgrims came from Uruguay, Argentina and Brazil to the event in Paysandú, near the Uruguay River.
- Leo said the Catholic faith had been part of Uruguayan life since its earliest days and should be passed on to future generations.
- He compared mate, a tea shared from a gourd and metal straw, to a symbol of encounter and belonging.
- Uruguay is described in the article as South America's most secular country, with a population of 3.5 million.
- The Mass was the first event of Leo's three-country South American tour, which also includes Argentina and Peru.
- In Montevideo, the church works with local authorities on housing and rehabilitation programs in a neighborhood affected by drug trafficking and gang violence.
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