Thousands turn out to greet Pope Leo as he begins Latin America tour

Thousands of people greeted Pope Leo as he arrived in Uruguay at the start of a 12-day tour of Latin America.

Around 30,000 people, according to the Vatican, turned out for his first engagement, a formal welcome and speech at Montevideo's Plaza Independencia with Uruguayan President Yamandu Orsi and government officials.

Later, the pontiff celebrated Mass after arriving at the Parque Paris Londres in Paysandu, north of the capital.

After arriving on Friday, his motorcade route was lined with people cheering wildly as he passed by in his popemobile, some chanting: "Pope Leo, Uruguay is with you!"

He kissed babies that were passed up to him and received the keys to the city from Montevideo's mayor.

At the event, Leo, speaking in Spanish, praised Uruguay's development while recalling its Catholic heritage.

A key aim of his visit, the first to Uruguay by a pope since 1988, is to push the Catholic faith as a way of confronting today's challenges.

Uruguay, home to 3.5 million people, is considered the most secular nation in Latin America, which houses around 40% of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics.
It was the first country in the world to legalise marijuana for recreational use, the second country in Latin America to decriminalise abortion, and the third nation in the Americas to legalise same-sex marriage.

More recently, it became the first country in the region to approve assisted dying legislation over the strong opposition of the Catholic Church.

"It is everyone's responsibility to ensure that each person can live with dignity, receive the care they need, and be accompanied until the natural end of his or her life," the Pope said.

Later, he presided over an evening vespers service at Montevideo cathedral, that ended at 9pm local time (1am, Rome time).

His visit has proved popular among local Catholics, Uruguayan church officials have said, with tickets to his prayer vigil at Montevideo's Centenario Stadium reportedly selling out within two days.

The next stop for Leo will be Argentina, followed by Peru, where he spent two decades as a missionary bishop.

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The pontiff said he felt better than he looked after travelling to South America less than a month after having lung cancer surgery.

Speaking to reporters during the flight from Rome to the capital Montevideo, he put his quick recovery down to "trusting God, good doctors, good surgeons, and overall I think a healthy lifestyle".

Asked if he felt as good as he looked, 71-year-old Leo replied: "Maybe better."

(c) Sky News 2026: Thousands turn out to greet Pope Leo as he begins Latin America tour