Pope Leo hold first mass in Uruguay, urges crowd to be ‘bridge builders’

What the report says

Pope Leo XIV led his first mass in Uruguay on Saturday in Paysandu, a city in the country’s west, as part of a 12-day Latin America tour, according to Al Jazeera. The Vatican said about 40,000 people gathered for the service at Paris London Park, including many who traveled from nearby Argentina and Brazil. The event marked the first papal visit to Uruguay in nearly four decades.

At the mass, the pope urged worshippers to act as “bridge builders” and to share the joy of their faith. He also encouraged the crowd to carry forward evangelization and described the church as a fraternal community that shares life, plans, hopes and dreams. Al Jazeera reported that Leo also referenced mate tea, a regional custom he used as an example of sharing and togetherness.

The visit came after questions about whether the trip would proceed, following the 71-year-old pope’s recent lung cancer surgery. Al Jazeera said he appeared to be in good health on Saturday. His South American itinerary includes Uruguay, Argentina and Peru, with a nighttime prayer vigil planned in Montevideo and later stops in Argentina and Peru. The trip also unfolds against a backdrop of political change across the region, though the article presented this mainly as context rather than a central focus.