Pope Leo Urges Faithful: Do Not Fear Saying You Are Catholic
On Uruguay’s most secular soil, a roadside stop in Juanicó became an appeal to publicly profess the Catholic faith with courage and joy.
On Sunday, November 8, 2026, the last day of his apostolic visit to Uruguay, Pope Leo XIV paused at the parish of Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus in Juanicó while traveling by road from Montevideo toward Florida, where he was to celebrate Mass for the feast of Our Lady of the Thirty-Three.
He entered the church for a moment of silent prayer, then greeted some 2,000 faithful gathered in the parish courtyard. The parish is the first in Uruguay dedicated to the saint after her canonization.
Speaking without a prepared text, the Pope recalled a personal bond with the “Little Flower.” “In my family, especially with my father, we had a great devotion to Saint Thérèse,” he said, remembering Louis Prevost’s love for her. He described the stop as “a moment of devotion, a moment of thanksgiving, a moment to recognize that God’s grace and God’s love are always with us.” God, he added, accompanies his people in joy as well as in suffering, illness, pain, and every difficulty.
A Courageous Witness in a Secular Land
Before departing, Pope Leo XIV blessed the faithful, their families, and the rosaries and devotional objects they had brought. He prayed that they would “grow in faith” and “live our faith courageously,” insisting: “Don’t be afraid to say: I am a Christian, I am Catholic, I believe in Jesus Christ.” Following Jesus, he said, means serving others, walking together in unity, seeking the presence of God, and sharing with everyone the joy of being Christians.
The brief visit was not listed among the major public events of the papal program. It took place in a country frequently described as the most secularized in Spanish-speaking Latin America, giving particular weight to the Pope’s invitation to public Christian identity. After Uruguay, the Holy Father was scheduled to continue his journey toward Peru following a stop in Argentina.
The encounter underscored a simple pastoral priority: thanksgiving for grace already received, and the quiet resolve to profess the faith without fear in daily life.