Canelones, Uruguay (EFE).- Pope Leo XIV arrived in Uruguay on Friday, landing at 04:20 pm at Carrasco International Airport to launch a 12-day tour of Latin America, which will also take him to Argentina and Peru.
Minutes after his arrival, the supreme pontiff disembarked from the Ita Airways aircraft that transported him from Rome and was greeted on the tarmac by Uruguayan President Yamandú Orsi.
After receiving military honors and flowers from two children, he was also welcomed to the country by Foreign Minister Mario Lubetkin; the mayor of Canelones department, Francisco Legnani; the Archbishop of Montevideo, Cardinal Daniel Sturla; the President of the Episcopal Conference of Uruguay, Milton Tróccoli; and other dignitaries.
Shortly thereafter, the pope will move to a reception room at Air Base No. 1, where he will greet the rest of the country’s bishops, according to the Church.
From there, he will board a motorcade traveling along Montevideo’s coastal boulevard toward the capital’s Old City, where a welcome ceremony will take place before thousands of attendees.
Leo XIV will hold a meeting there with members of civil society, the diplomatic corps, and public officials, including former Presidents Julio María Sanguinetti, Luis Lacalle Herrera, and Luis Lacalle Pou.
Social and community organizations operating across various sectors will participate in the ceremony, alongside 65 members of the National Choir, 40 from the National Youth Choir, 40 from the National Children’s Choir, and around 100 musicians from the National Youth Orchestra.
He will later meet at the José Artigas Building with President Orsi, who will present him with a hand-woven merino wool blanket and a traditional gaucho riding harness, a piece of leatherwork representing rural traditions.
Afterward, he will receive the keys to the city at Montevideo City Hall and meet with bishops, priests, deacons, religious figures, and seminarians at the Metropolitan Cathedral.
On Saturday, Pope Leo XIV’s visit to Uruguay will continue with a morning mass in the city of Paysandú, located about 370 kilometers (229 miles) from the capital, while in the afternoon he will visit the Casavalle neighborhood and the Catholic University of Uruguay.
Finally, he will lead a prayer vigil at Centenario Stadium at 07:00 pm local time, where an estimated 60,000 people are expected to gather.
On Sunday morning, the supreme pontiff will celebrate mass in the city of Florida, roughly 100 kilometers (62 miles) from Montevideo, before departing Uruguay in the afternoon to travel to Argentina. EFE
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