Pope Visits Secular Uruguay Amid Femicide Crisis

More than 3,800 women were killed in Latin America and the Caribbean in 2024 because of their gender. The United Nations regional economic mission reported this figure. Over the last five years, the region recorded nearly 20,000 femicides. Most of these killings were committed by the victim's current or former partner.

Pope Leo XIV addressed the crisis during his final stop in Uruguay on Sunday. He concluded the first leg of a 12-day tour of Latin America. The pontiff celebrated an open-air mass outside a basilica in the south-central city of Florida. The site is home to a shrine linked to Uruguay's fight for independence from Spanish colonial rule. Thousands of worshippers gathered in the city's main square. They enjoyed warm sunshine after several days of unusually cold weather triggered by a strong El Niño.

Leo spoke to the crowd during his homily. "Dear fathers and grandfathers . treat your wives with respect, ask for forgiveness and live with integrity, even when doing so requires sacrifice," he said. He also asked the faithful to pray for the country's leaders. "Let us pray for those who bear the responsibility of governing (Uruguay), that they may seek with integrity the good of all," the pope said. Ivanna Fisichella, a 22-year-old attendee, told AFP that the visit strengthens the Church's presence in the country. Evangelina Campero, 57, noted that the pope is undertaking a gruelling tour just three weeks after lung cancer surgery. "The message is to give it your all," she said.

Leo will travel to Argentina next. He is scheduled to meet President Javier Milei. Milei is a right-wing free marketeer who won power in 2023. His austerity policies have drawn sharp criticism from the Catholic Church. Milei campaigned with a chainsaw to symbolize deep cuts to state spending. Leo's itinerary in Argentina includes a care center for people with disabilities and a prison. Jorge Silanes, religious director of the Pequeno Cottolengo Don Orione care center, said the visit carries added significance. Milei's spending cuts have reduced disability benefits while poverty remains widespread.

The 71-year-old pope has warned about artificial intelligence risks and urged humane treatment of immigrants during his 18-month papacy. These appeals have put him at odds with US President Donald Trump. Fortunato Mallimaci, a sociologist at Argentina's Conicet research agency, said the visit will create a sense of unity among those who feel excluded by Milei's economic program. Milei previously called Pope Francis, an Argentine, "an imbecile." He later visited the late pope at the Vatican to repair relations. Veronica Gimenez Beliveau, a sociologist at the University of Buenos Aires, said Milei could gain by showing an orderly country and administration.