Parishes and Shrines Ready for Pope Leo’s Visit
From Montevideo to Luján, parishes and shrines are organizing liturgies, catechesis and outreach as the papal trip aims to revive Catholic ties.
Pope Leo XIV is due to arrive in Montevideo on the afternoon of November 6, 2026, for an apostolic journey that will take him through Uruguay and then Argentina. That evening he is scheduled to celebrate Vespers in the Uruguayan capital before traveling the next day to Paysandú for an outdoor Mass. His program also includes a visit to the Casavalle neighborhood, a meeting with Catholic school leaders, a prayer vigil, and a Mass on November 8 at the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Thirty-Three in Florida, after which he departs for Argentina.
The last papal visit to Uruguay took place in May 1988, when Saint John Paul II spent four days in the country. Since then the share of Catholics has fallen sharply: from about 60 percent in 1997 to roughly 33 percent today, while more than 28 percent of Uruguayans now identify as agnostic or atheist.
Reconnecting a secularized nation
Guzmán Carriquiry, former secretary of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, has said the November 8 Mass beside the Shrine of Our Lady of the Thirty-Three offers a chance to reconnect Uruguay with its Catholic roots. He recalled that “the Church is the midwife of the nation,” underscoring the historic role of the faith in the country’s identity even amid advanced secularization.
In Borro, a neighborhood marked by drug trafficking and violence, the local parish is preparing to welcome the Pope while continuing to serve as a refuge through social programs. Pastors and volunteers there describe the visit as both a pastoral encouragement and a public sign of hope for families living under pressure from crime.
Argentina awaits at Luján and beyond
After Uruguay, the Holy Father’s itinerary turns to Argentina. Archbishop Jorge Eduardo Scheinig of Luján has said an entire people stands with open arms to welcome the Pope during his November 11 visit to the Basilica of Our Lady of Luján, the nation’s principal Marian shrine. The schedule also includes a meeting with President Javier Milei at the Casa Rosada on November 8 and, the following morning, a visit to a home for people with disabilities in Claypole.
Across both countries, dioceses, parishes, and shrine rectors are organizing liturgies, catechesis, and works of charity so that the papal presence may strengthen communion with Rome and renew missionary zeal. For a Church that has long accompanied Latin American peoples in their joys and sufferings, the journey is framed as a call to fidelity, prayer, and service to the poorest.