Thousands pour into park in Uruguay for Pope Leo's first Mass in South America

Thousands of people poured into a city on the Uruguay River on Saturday for Pope Leo XIVs first Mass in South America as the pontiff sought to raise the profile of the Catholic Church in Uruguay the regions most secular countryMore than 30000 people many from Uruguay but also from neighbouring Argentina and Brazil had registered to attend the Mass in the Parque Paris Londres a sprawling green space on the southern edge of Paysandu a city that no pope has ever visited beforePaysandu around 375 kilometres from the capital Montevideo was hosting Leos first Mass at the start of his threenation South American tour that was in doubt after he underwent lung cancer surgery on October 13Crowds of faithful in rain ponchos many in the Vaticans yellow began streaming in when the gates opened at 530 am as a band played popular Spanish hymns Some in the crowd said they were deeply moved that Leo pressed on with his ambitious 12day tour despite his recent cancer diagnosisHes the representative of Christ but hes human And we werent sure if he could make it but he pushed through for us said Soledad Sanchez 73 who had driven to Paysandu from northern Uruguay her eyes filling with tears He made it here to give us a message of peace because he knows our world needs it right nowA visit to try to propose the Catholic faithLeo who arrived in Uruguay on Friday and had an intense afternoon and evening of events is seeking to urge the people in South Americas most secular country with a population of 35 million to turn to the Catholic faith for strength in confronting todays problems and challengesHe was to press that message later Saturday by touring a Montevideo neighbourhood beset by drug trafficking and gang violence where the church is working with municipal authorities to build housing and provide rehab programmes for addictsHis final event too was likely to drive home the call to reject religious indifference and embrace the faith a prayer vigil in Montevideos Centenary StadiumAt an evening vespers service Friday in Montevideos cathedral Leo acknowledged many people here dont even know about the faith or its heritage that is intrinsically tied to Uruguays independence and nationhood The Catholic Church for example had no new seminarians in 2024 though a few have since entered training for the priesthoodLeo told the seminarians priests and bishops to model themselves on Christ to attract the faithfulOne of the secrets of evangelisation is to resemble the one whom we proclaim Leo said In this land where many of our contemporaries barely know Jesus Christ and so many young people have grown up far from the life of the Church that witness has a special powerLocated in western Uruguay and just across a bridge from the eastern Argentine city of Colon Paysandu was easier to reach for many Argentines than any of the stops on Leos part of the tour in Argentina his next stop after UruguayIn Argentina Leo will visit Buenos Aires Lujan and Cordoba before heading to Peru his second homeland and the final destination of his tourArgentina is a much more religious country than Uruguay and theres this desire to be here to witness something historic said Luciana Lobato 20 an Argentine tour agent who organised buses of 180 pilgrims from across the borderSome young Catholics involved in local church groups hoped the sight of a pope drawing crowds would challenge Uruguays image as a country indifferent to religionThe reality I see in my town is that there are tons of young people who are really interested in religion who are trying to find meaning and community in difficult moments said Teresa Sabellini 18 from PaysanduAnd now look around here This place is full of people she addedStill Paysandu itself greeted the pope quietly as though it were an ordinary weekend with scant decorations and only a few homes seen flying Vatican flagsSaturdays Mass is dedicated to Blessed Jacinto Vera a 19thcentury priest who became Uruguays first bishop Leo praised him on Friday as a pastor who travelled the countrys roads to help the poor saying that people who met him found something of Christs goodness even before he preachedSome younger attendees on Saturday said Leos humane tone and emphasis on care for the vulnerable resonated beyond the faithful in their secular country as people grapple with a turbulent worldI wouldnt call myself religious but I like this pope He has a really good message for humanity said Santiago Biglieri 18 a Colombian who lives in Uruguay Even for the nonbelievers theres something to take from his ideasThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever