Soon after arriving in Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay, on the afternoon of Nov. 6, Pope Leo XIV issued a clarion call for universal health care not only in this small Latin American republic but also “in every society.”
From a platform erected in Independence Square, the city’s main square, the pope addressed an audience that included Uruguay’s civil and religious authorities, members of the business world, representatives of its civil society and the diplomatic corps.
Recalling his own recent cancer diagnosis and hospitalization in Rome that put his visit at risk (though on the plane he said he never doubted that the trip would go ahead), Leo drew attention to the fact that “sickness, disability, physical pain, loss of autonomy, poverty, unemployment or social exclusion can make it especially necessary that others offer help.”
“Recently,” he said, “I experienced firsthand the limitations imposed by illness, and I received care for which I am deeply grateful,” and “that experience makes me think of the many men and women who lack the means to obtain a timely diagnosis or receive the treatments they need.”
“Ensuring that health care is accessible to everyone, regardless of their resources, is a duty that confronts every society,” Leo said. Pope Francis also pushed for universal health care during his 12-year pontificate, and it has been a long-standing position of the Holy See.
Pope Leo reminded his audience that people suffering from illnesses “do not cease to be full members of society, nor do their lives lose any of their value. In such circumstances, their weakness makes it all the more urgent that they receive the assistance, resources and support they need.”
He emphasized that “caring for those who suffer is a responsibility incumbent upon the entire human family,” and “for the church, this duty finds a particular basis in the commandment of Christ to recognize and serve him in those most in need.” He added, “It is everyone’s responsibility to ensure that each person can live with dignity, receive the care they need, and be accompanied until the natural end of his or her life.” Leo made a similar point during his September visit to France, where he condemned the country’s assisted dying laws.
He arrived in Independence Square aboard a popemobile after being welcomed at the airport by President Yamandú Orsi and an honor guard.
Thousands lined the streets of Montevideo as he drove along the seafront and into the square; some waved Vatican and Uruguayan flags, others just waved or cheered. A young boy ran up and hugged him when he got down from the popemobile; Leo seemed to enjoy the moment.
Uruguay’s president welcomed him again on arrival in the crowded square, and the two leaders stood side by side as the national youth and children’s choir, accompanied by a youth orchestra, sang the national anthems of this secular republic and the Vatican.
In his welcome speech, President Orsi said the country was “honored” by his visit. “We welcome Pope Leo XIV to Uruguay. We do so in keeping with who we are: a country with a secular tradition, solid democratic institutions, and a diverse society that respects different beliefs and convictions,” the left-wing president said.
He hailed the pope’s visit as “a welcome opportunity to recognize the values
that unite us, inspire us and challenge us to continue making integral human development the guiding principle of every political choice that seeks the genuine promotion of the common good.”
He told the pope, “We share and stand with you in your unwavering commitment to peaceful conflict resolution” and said “our commitment to dialogue and consensus—which guides our approach at home—is what we Uruguayans consistently promote in international organizations.”
Speaking in Spanish, Leo began by saying he had accepted “with great joy” the invitation to visit this land, and he extended his greetings “to all Uruguayans, wherever they may be,” perhaps aware that more than half a million had emigrated in past decades.
He said he looked forward to visiting places as he crisscrossed the country but especially the city of Florida “where Our Lady of the Thirty-Three, Patroness of Uruguay, is venerated” and where he will close his visit by celebrating Mass on Sunday. He reminded those present or following by television or radio that “her presence accompanied a decisive chapter in the history of the nation”—from the insurrection that led to independence to the founding of the nation.
Leo recalled that the year 2025 “marked four decades of uninterrupted democracy in Uruguay”—following a civic-military dictatorship that lasted from 1973 to 1985—“during which various governments have succeeded one another by the will of the citizens.” He reminded those in positions of responsibility that “public authority finds its raison d’être in service to the common good and is called to exercise it within the framework of law, with respect for the freedom and responsibility of the citizenry.”
He also reminded them that Pope Francis taught that “the common good also includes the duty to pass on to future generations the goods we ourselves have received.” Leo said that “this responsibility is reflected in decisions that concern the use of natural resources and energy sources.”
In this context, he recalled that in recent decades, “Uruguay has profoundly transformed its electrical grid, which today relies almost entirely on renewable sources” and hailed this as “a remarkable achievement that required sustained decisions over many years and the participation of various sectors of the country.”
He said, “Concern for the future also embraces those destined to inhabit this land, the conditions in which they will be born and grow up, and the opportunities they will encounter throughout their lives.” He emphasized that society must care for people who are vulnerable at different moments in life, from the child in the womb—abortion was made legal here in 2012—to the family struggling with work and education to the elderly.
He reminded that “loneliness, anxiety and the loss of hope can become so profound that a person no longer sees a reason to continue living. In the face of the painful reality of suicide (the official figures that show that 19.16 out of every 100,000 people committed suicide in Uruguay in 2025), he said that “it is clear that adequate health care, family ties and the closeness of the community are inseparable. None should ever feel like a stranger among their own or think that their absence matters less than their presence.” These words were particularly significant given that President Orsi signed euthanasia into law last April, making Uruguay the first Latin American country to do so.
Pope Leo said the Catholic Church in Uruguay “wishes to cooperate with all those who work to alleviate suffering whenever possible and to support the individual in cases when suffering cannot be eliminated.” To this common effort, he added, “the church contributes what is unique to her: a hope that does not fade when human resources reach their limits and which reminds those undergoing trials that their lives always retain meaning and value, that they are not alone, and that even in dark times they do not cease to be loved by God.”
He drew attention to the fact that “the way the economy is organized and directed has a direct impact on people’s living conditions and their ability to shape their future,” and said that “the creation of wealth, investment and economic initiative—both public and private—are necessary for a country’s development, yet their benefits must also translate into goods and opportunities that effectively reach everyone.”
The pope commended the “coexistence among people of different backgrounds and traditions that is part of Uruguay’s history” and said that “pluralism is expressed in the beliefs and convictions of its citizens today.” Aware that Uruguay is a secular state where Christmas Day is called “The Family Day,” the feast of the Epiphany is called “The Day of the Children” and Holy Week is called “The Week of Tourism,” Pope Leo underlined that “the secular character of the state involves an obligation to ensure that there is room for believers and nonbelievers to live together in freedom and respect” and emphasized that “this neutrality does not require that the religious dimension be confined to the private sphere.” On the basis of this freedom, he said, “individuals and religious communities can contribute to the common good while respecting the autonomy of civil institutions.”
Then speaking of relations within the country and with its neighbors, Pope Leo emphasized that “the respect and harmonious coexistence fostered within a nation must also guide its relations with other peoples.” He noted with approval that the Uruguayan Constitution “provides that, in international treaties, the republic shall seek to resolve disputes through arbitration or other peaceful means and shall promote the social and economic integration of Latin American states.”
He concluded his speech with words of appreciation for the fact that “in an age when differences can easily become a source of conflict, persevering in respect for the law, negotiation and the patient search for agreements is a service that Uruguay can continue to offer its neighbors.”
The Augustinian pope told his national audience, “I have come as the successor of Peter and as a shepherd, with the desire to meet the pilgrim church in this land and to draw near, with affection, to all its people.” He recalled that the ties between the Holy See and Uruguay date back to the first years of its independence and that Pope Gregory XVI at that time appointed an apostolic vicar of the republic, an act that was interpreted “as an implicit recognition of the independence of the new eastern state, which at that time was seeking to consolidate its position among the nations.”
He concluded by assuring them that the Catholic Church, “with her history of faith and service dating back centuries…wishes to continue offering the Uruguayan people what she herself has received—Jesus Christ and the hope proclaimed by his Gospel—and to cooperate, through her own mission, with all those who work to promote the common good and the dignity of every person.”
He ended by expressing the hope that his visit would “strengthen what unites us and renew the confidence with which we face difficulties and prepare for what lies ahead.”
Afterward, Pope Leo paid a courtesy visit to the president before going to the cathedral to pray with the bishops, clergy, religious and seminarians. When that ended, he retired to the nunciature for dinner and well-deserved rest to prepare for another demanding day tomorrow as he visits the city of Paysandú, on the river that marks the border with Argentina.
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