The key facts

  • On the second day of his visit to Uruguay, Pope Leo XIV addressed 70,000 people at a prayer vigil at the Centenario stadium in Montevideo
  • At a meeting at the Catholic University of Uruguay, he called on schools and universities to promote the wise use of technology and AI
  • In Paysandú, 40,000 faithful attended the open-air Mass, including visitors from Argentina and Brazil

Prayer vigil and a call to genuine human connection

On the second day of his visit to Uruguay, Pope Leo XIV addressed young people at a prayer vigil at the historic Estadio Centenario in Montevideo, where, according to the Anadolu agency, 70,000 people were present. The Pontiff urged young people to face the uncertainty of the modern world with courage and not to shut themselves off in the 'superficial world of screens and algorithms': in his words, virtual communication cannot replace genuine human relationships. 'Nothing can replace real human contact,' the agency quotes him as saying; he suggested looking each other in the eye, taking each other's hands, and sharing joys and hardships in person.

AI in education and a visit to Casavalle

At a meeting with teachers, students and education representatives at the Catholic University of Uruguay (UCU) in Montevideo, the Pope spoke about technological transformation and artificial intelligence. He called it 'an urgent necessity' for schools and universities to contribute to the wise use of technology and AI, 'placing the human person above algorithms' and integrating technical, emotional, spiritual and ecological thinking. Leo XIV then visited Casavalle, one of the poorest and most crime-ridden neighborhoods of Montevideo. At the Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe church, he stated that in a country as rich in resources as Uruguay, no child should go to bed hungry or be deprived of a decent education because of unsafe streets, and he stressed that no child should face violence that could cost them their life. The Pontiff also made an unexpected visit to the residence for elderly priests named after Monsignor Jacinto Vera.

Mass in Paysandú and preparations for Argentina

The second day of the visit concluded with an open-air Mass in Paysandú, near the Argentine border: 40,000 faithful gathered in the París-Londres park, with thousands of people arriving from neighboring Argentina and Brazil. Referencing the traditional mate culture, the Pope called the drink 'a tangible symbol of unity, sharing, conversation and strengthening bonds between people,' adding that the modern world needs to share fraternity and friendship rather than build dividing walls. The next stage of the Pope's South American tour is Argentina, where he is expected to arrive on Sunday. According to Anadolu, Argentine authorities have raised security to the maximum level and are preparing a security operation unprecedented in the country's history.