Pope Leo XIV visits violence-hit Uruguay, urges youth to marry and have families

Pope Leo XIV, 71, visited Montevideo's crime-ridden Casavalle district on Saturday during his 12-day South America tour — just three weeks after lung cancer surgery. The neighborhood's murder rate is four times Uruguay's national average, driven by the country's expanding role in the cocaine trade. Residents described children afraid to attend school and gun violence so normalized that bodies in streets barely register.

The Pope condemned child deaths in "a country as rich in resources as this" and blessed 12 new Church-funded low-income homes. At a 60,000-capacity vigil in Centenario stadium, he warned that Latin America's fertility rate has plummeted from nearly six children per woman in the 1950s to 1.8 in 2024, urging young people: "Dare to take the step of marrying and starting a family. Don't be afraid of 'forever'." He also cautioned against AI "dehumanization" in education at the Catholic University of Uruguay.

For Nigeria's estimated 30 million Catholics, the Pope's messages resonate beyond Uruguay. Drug-related violence affecting youth mirrors challenges in Nigerian cities. The fertility discussion contrasts sharply with Nigeria's 5.3 children per woman — though urban Nigerian rates are declining. His AI ethics stance aligns with growing local debates about technology in education.

The tour continues Sunday to Argentina (home of the late Pope Francis) and then Peru, where Leo served as bishop. He told journalists en route he feels "in fairly good shape" post-surgery.

As drug violence touches younger Nigerians and fertility patterns shift in Lagos and Abuja, what community structures — faith-based or secular — could offer the "bridge building" the Pope advocates?

SOURCE: https://www.channelstv.com/2026/11/08/pope-leo-condemns-drug-violence-urges-unity-in-uruguay/