Cardinal Sturla Welcomes Pope Leo XIV at Centenario Vigil
He framed Christian life as a race for an unfading crown, urging the faithful into daily discipleship in neighborhood, family, and work.
At a prayer vigil held at Montevideo’s Estadio Centenario, Cardinal Daniel Fernando Sturla Berhouet, archbishop of Montevideo, welcomed Pope Leo XIV on behalf of the Church in Uruguay as thousands of the faithful gathered in the historic stadium.
Drawing on Saint Paul’s image of the Christian life as an athletic contest (1 Cor 9:24-27), the cardinal recalled that many run in the stadium, yet Christians contend for a crown that does not wither. The venue, built for the first World Cup in 1930 and to mark the centenary of the Constitution’s oath, stands as a place where Uruguay recognizes its history and its identity as a people.
"For Uruguayans this stadium is ‘El Centenario,'" Cardinal Sturla said. In football slang he added that having the Pope among them was "a golazo." He insisted the gathering was not mere spectatorship: "We did not come only to cheer from the stands: Christ invites us to enter the field of life"—a field found in the neighborhood, the family, and work.
Baptismal Identity and Local Saints
Comparing the pride of wearing the sky-blue national jersey to the identity conferred in baptism, he declared: "We want to wear the Christian jersey with joy, so that whoever sees us may discover the joy of following Jesus."
He invoked Blessed Jacinto Vera, first bishop of Montevideo, whose beatification took place in the same stadium and who consecrated Uruguay to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. He also recalled Saint María Francisca Rubatto, Blesseds Dolores and Consuelo Aguiar-Mella—martyrs of the faith in Spain—and the Servants of God Padre Cacho, Walter Chango, and Salvador García Pintos.
Underlining the communal character of the faith, the cardinal said: "Just as the sky blue unites a whole country, faith calls us together as the people of God. In this stand no one is left out." Looking toward the Torre de los Homenajes, he added: "Today, with you, we gather to pay homage to Christ." The Uruguayan Church expressed its desire to receive from the Holy Father a confirmation in faith and hope.
The vigil thus joined national memory, popular devotion, and the call to active discipleship under the gaze of the Successor of Peter.