Pope Leo XIV celebrated his final Mass in Uruguay on Sunday morning at the Basilica of Florida, at the shrine of the Virgin of the Thirty-Three, before a planned departure for Argentina later the same day. According to Clarin.com, the pontiff used the homily to thank women for carrying the faith across generations and to ask them not to consider their efforts wasted. The Argentine leg of the trip was expected to begin with his arrival at the Aeroparque in Buenos Aires around 4:30 p.m., Clarin.com reported.
Why it matters
The visit closes a stretch in Uruguay in which the pope tied the country's Catholic identity to its founding devotion to a mother figure, and then extended that theme to the ordinary women who, in his telling, kept the faith alive inside families. The stop also carries weight for Argentina, where the pope is due next and where preparations were already under way on Sunday morning.
A Mass in Uruguayan wool
For the Florida celebration, Leo XIV wore vestments made from Uruguayan merino wool, a material typical of the country, in honor of the Virgin of the Thirty-Three, the local patroness, Clarin.com reported. The liturgical garments were designed by the label By Florencia and approved by the Vatican, according to the same outlet. The central piece was a crepe chasuble with two bands woven by hand in merino wool, carrying references to the Virgin: her cross embroidered on the front and, on the back, her crown alongside the pope's coat of arms. The vestments also featured hand-embroidered cross-stitch inspired by the leaves that decorate the patroness's crown, and the tailoring was done by the couturier Laura Sorhuet, Clarin.com reported.
The pope arrived at the basilica in the popemobile and blessed children along the route, while residents of the area came to their windows to watch him pass, according to Clarin.com. He descended from the vehicle, entered the cathedral, knelt before the altar and prayed for a short time. The Mass began shortly after 10:30 a.m. local time.
Thanks for the welcome, and a request to pray for leaders
After exchanging gifts with local religious figures, the pope thanked everyone who made the visit possible, including civil and religious authorities, the teams that organized each event, volunteers, and the families and communities that mobilized and helped, as well as those who followed along through the media. Clarin.com quoted him saying he had been told that although Uruguay is a relatively small country, its people have generous hearts and are capable of very great things, and that this had become evident over those days.
In his homily, Leo XIV recalled the words of St. Paul asking that prayers be said for kings and for all who hold authority, because God wills that all be saved. He asked those present to pray for those responsible for governing Uruguay, that they seek the good of all with integrity, and also for families, for young people, for those who suffer, for those who feel far from God, and for those who need to return to him and change their lives, Clarin.com reported.
"Do not give up what you planted"
The pope's remarks on women drew on the image of faith handed down quietly within families. He said he knew that many women carry a very specific sorrow: they taught their children to pray and those children no longer pray; they went to Mass together and the children have not entered a church in years; they spoke to their grandchildren about God and now cannot tell whether those words left a mark. Sometimes, he said, they wonder whether they did something wrong or whether it was all lost.
To them he said not to give up what they had sown, since the Lord himself taught that a seed can grow without the sower knowing how. Clarin.com reported that he thanked these women for having believed and for having kept open, in so many families, a path toward God.
The pope also noted that from its founding hours Uruguay was closely linked to a mother, and that generations have passed since then, circumstances have changed, and so has the relationship of many Uruguayans with the faith. Most of that history, he said, was never written in books but was passed down silently from generation to generation within families. When people ask themselves where the faith they carry came from, he said, the name of a specific woman often surfaces: a mother, a grandmother, a godmother or a catechist. The exact words may be forgotten, he added, but not how they prayed, how they spoke of the Lord, and how firmly they lived what they taught.
Earlier, the pope described himself as a pilgrim coming to share the faith and the affection with which the Uruguayan people have admired the mother of God for generations, and said he embraced them and entrusted them to Mary's protection, Clarin.com reported.
Security in Buenos Aires
In Buenos Aires, a large number of police officers were deployed at the Aeroparque on Sunday morning ahead of the pope's expected arrival, Clarin.com reported. Officers at the entrance were asking passengers about their travel destinations. Few faithful had gathered at the site so far, and there were no signs or displays referring to the pontiff's arrival, according to the outlet.
Coverage of the Argentina visit is continuing, with Clarin.com running live updates on the pope's movements and the preparations in Buenos Aires.
