50,000 Faithful Gather in Small Uruguayan Town as Pope Leo Prepares for Tense Argentina Stop

Fifty thousand people filled the main square of Florida, a Uruguayan city with a permanent population of just 40,000, to witness Pope Leo XIV celebrate the feast of the Virgin of the Thirty-three on Sunday. The Vatican estimated the crowd size at double the city's usual headcount, with many attendees walking kilometers to reach the cathedral under clear blue skies. This gathering marked the conclusion of Leo's first stop in South America and his final event in Uruguay.

The visit represents a rare return to the region, as Leo is the first pope to visit Uruguay in nearly four decades. His presence aims to reconnect the nation with its Catholic roots, a identity that has become less central as Uruguay evolved into one of Latin America's most secular countries. The tradition honored at the ceremony dates back to August 25, 1825, when 33 independence patriots brought a Guaraní statue to the city to mark the declaration of independence from the Brazilian empire.

In his homily, Leo addressed the role of women in preserving religious tradition. He acknowledged the pain of mothers and grandmothers who see their children drifting away from the faith. "You taught your children to pray, and today they no longer do so," he told the congregation. He urged them to remain persistent in their efforts to pass on their beliefs, stating that the history of peoples cannot be fully understood without reference to God.

The Pope now turns his attention to Argentina for the second leg of his tour. This stop is expected to be politically delicate due to the sharp tensions between the Catholic Church and President Javier Milei. The Argentine government has faced criticism for slashing social spending, including a 48% reduction in the healthcare budget since Milei took office in December 2023. Poverty in the country reached 32.3% of the population in the first half of 2026, affecting approximately 15 million people.

Milei has defended these cuts as necessary reforms to fix the economy, calling social justice an aberration. His administration has also pursued artificial intelligence investment with limited regulation, a stance that contrasts with Leo's recent warnings about the threats AI poses to humanity. The Pope, who chose his name in honor of a 19th-century leader who laid the foundation for Catholic social teaching on labor, has focused his papacy on the poor and vulnerable, continuing the legacy of his Argentine predecessor, Pope Francis.

Tensions are visible in public discourse. Posters in Buenos Aires this weekend read "At last, a Lion who unites," a play on the Spanish word for lion, León, and the imagery Milei uses on social media. Luis Bahamondes, a professor at the University of Chile, noted that Argentina is experiencing deep polarization and economic crisis, with a president who has defied conventional protocol. The Argentine Church has been a vocal critic of the austerity measures, arguing they disproportionately affect the marginalized sectors that Francis once championed.

Leo is also completing unfinished business from the previous pontificate. Pope Francis, an Argentine Jesuit who served as archbishop of Buenos Aires, never returned to his home country during his 12-year tenure. David Lantigua, a theology professor at the University of Notre Dame, suggested that Leo would face similar tensions regarding the legacy of Francis in the region. Leo, who spent two decades as a missionary in Peru, will conclude his trip there, returning to the country where he ministered to the poor.

Security concerns have arisen ahead of the arrival in Buenos Aires. Argentina's state intelligence agency announced on Saturday that a person was arrested following death threats against the Pope. A federal court in Campana, located 70 kilometers northwest of Buenos Aires, ordered the arrest less than 24 hours after the agency received a tip. The agency did not provide further details about the suspect or the nature of the threats.