Pope Leo XIV celebrates Mass in Uruguay and honors women as keepers of faith

Pope Leo XIV celebrated Mass at the Basilica Cathedral of Florida, the National Shrine of the Virgin of the Thirty-Three, before 50,000 faithful on Sunday, November 8, 2026. The service marked the final day of his apostolic visit to Uruguay and the solemnity of Our Lady of the Thirty-Three, the country's patroness.

In his homily, the pope reflected on the family transmission of faith and the fundamental role of women in Uruguay's spiritual history. He thanked mothers, grandmothers, and catechists who have preserved and passed down the Gospel from generation to generation, comparing them to biblical figures such as Lois and Eunice.

“To all those women I would like to say today thank you. Thank you for having believed and for having kept open in so many families a path toward God.”

The pontiff also recalled the patriotic origins of Marian devotion in Uruguay, noting that in 1825 men fighting for the freedom of the land turned to Mary to place that beginning under her protection. He said this gesture reminds people that the history of nations cannot be fully understood without God.

Pope Leo XIV acknowledged that different generations have passed and circumstances have changed, including many Uruguayans' relationship with faith. He noted that Catholics represent around 36 percent of the population in this highly secularized country, while 29 percent consider themselves agnostic or atheist.

The pope lamented that many women taught their children to pray, yet today those children no longer pray and have not entered a church for years. He encouraged fathers and grandfathers to offer a coherent and visible witness of prayer, and urged the entire Uruguayan community not to wait passively but to set out toward those who are alone or distant from God.

The celebration concluded with the pope consecrating the nation once again to the Virgin and offering the Golden Rose to the Holy Patroness. He is expected to depart for Argentina after this final meeting with the Uruguayan people.