Pope Leo XIV concludes Uruguay visit, prepares for Argentina stop

Pope Leo XIV is concluding his visit to Uruguay by commemorating the feast of the Virgin of the Thirty-three, a Catholic feast day linked to the country’s independence, ABC News reported.

The feast honors a small wooden icon of the Virgin Mary associated with 33 independence patriots who declared Uruguay’s independence from the Brazilian empire in 1825.

This visit marks the first papal trip to Uruguay in nearly 40 years, with the pope aiming to highlight the Catholic Church’s role in a country known for its secular and sometimes anticlerical stance.

After Uruguay, Pope Leo XIV will travel to Argentina, where the Catholic Church has criticized the government’s austerity program under President Javier Milei, making it a politically sensitive part of his tour.

Despite recent lung surgery to remove a cancerous tumor, the 71-year-old pope has appeared in good health during his events and is continuing his three-nation South American tour, which will conclude in Peru, his second homeland.