Latin American bishops excited about Pope’s “homecoming” trip

Bishops from Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru expressed enthusiasm for the upcoming visit of Pope Leo XIV, scheduled from November 6 to 17. The Pope will visit ten cities across the three nations, starting in Uruguay before traveling to Argentina on November 8 and visiting Peru from November 11 to 16.

During an online conference organized by Aid to the Church in Need, Cardinal Daniel Sturla, the Archbishop of Montevideo, described the religious landscape in Uruguay. He noted that the country is highly secularized, with only 33 percent of its 3.5 million residents identifying as Catholic. Sturla reported that 28 percent of the population believes in God without belonging to a specific church, while another 28 percent are agnostic or atheist.

Sturla explained that this secularism has changed how traditional holidays are observed, noting that Christmas is often called the Day of the Family and Easter is referred to as the Week of Tourism. He described the Uruguayan Church as small and modest, stating that priests in the country serve without social prestige, which allows them to lead normal lives while focusing on their duties.