Pope Leo XIV concluded his visit to Uruguay on Sunday with a Mass in Florida, thanking mothers and grandmothers for passing on the Catholic faith before heading to Argentina for the next leg of his South American tour.

According to Associated Press reporting published by NPR, tens of thousands gathered outside Florida’s cathedral for the feast of the Virgin of the Thirty-three. The Vatican estimated attendance at 50,000, exceeding the city’s population of about 40,000.

Leo acknowledged the disappointment of women whose children no longer practise the faith, but urged them not to lose hope.

“Mothers and grandmothers: never tire of passing on the faith!” he said.

The visit was the first by a pope to Uruguay in nearly four decades. In his homily, Leo connected Catholic tradition with the country’s founding, recalling the presence of the Virgin’s statue when independence from the Brazilian empire was declared in Florida in 1825.

His next stop, Argentina, is expected to bring a more politically delicate encounter. President Javier Milei is due to greet Leo at the airport in Buenos Aires before a formal welcome ceremony and speeches.

The Catholic Church has sharply criticized Milei’s cuts to social spending. Leo has made care for poor and vulnerable people a focus of his papacy, continuing a priority of his Argentine predecessor, Pope Francis.

Milei’s government has characterized the trip as religious rather than political. “The pope belongs to all Argentines,” presidential secretary-general Karina Milei said ahead of the visit.

Argentina’s state intelligence agency also said Saturday that a person had been arrested over death threats against Leo. The agency provided no further details about the threats, AP reported.

Sources