Thursday, May 21st 2026 - 20:45 UTC
A possible visit by the pontiff to Uruguay would be the first papal trip to the country since the historic pilgrimage of John Paul II in 1988
The possible visit of Pope Leo XIV to Uruguay during the first half of November, announced on Wednesday by the intendant of the department of Florida, Carlos Enciso, does not yet have official confirmation from either the Uruguayan Catholic Church or the Vatican, according to ecclesiastical sources cited by the Montevideo Portal news outlet. The municipal official stated on his X social media account that, according to “Vatican sources” consulted by his administration, the pontiff is expected to visit the national shrine of the Virgin of the Thirty-Three as part of a possible trip to the South American country.
“We are in a position to share a great piece of news according to our Vatican sources. As part of his visit to Uruguay, in the first half of November, the presence of Leo XIV at the Shrine of the Virgin of the Thirty-Three is planned,” Enciso wrote, describing the prospective event as “of great importance not only for Catholics, but for all the inhabitants” of the department. The Florida shrine houses the image of the Virgin of the Thirty-Three, the national patron of Uruguay and a figure tied to the 1825 independence movement led by the group of the Thirty-Three Orientals.
