Uruguay is the most secularized nation in Latin America -- it was the first to liberate abortion in the 1930s, forbidding it again. During the Francis years, all hell broke loose: abortion became legal again there, as a prelude to its liberalization in Argentina years later. And now euthanasia has become legal.
So it is brave for the Pope in his addresses to speak again, and again, and again on life:
Concern for the future also embraces those destined to inhabit this land, the conditions in which they will be born and grow up, and the opportunities they will encounter throughout their lives. Uruguay’s demographic trends make this concern particularly pressing. One of the reliefs on the monument [to Artigas] depicts a woman holding a baby in her arms. She holds the child close as the march presses forward around her.
That gesture of protection invites us to reflect on life that is just beginning, as well as life still developing in the mother’s womb. The unborn already belong to the human family and to the future of their people. Their absolute dependence on their mother does not diminish the dignity to which they are entitled or the protection they deserve. Welcoming a new life requires that fathers assume their responsibility alongside mothers, that the family offer its support, and that social conditions exist that allow both parents to raise and care for their children. The protection of the unborn and the support of those who welcome them are inseparable. The family remains the primary setting in which each person is welcomed and learns to live with others. Saint John Paul II, who also had the joy of visiting this land, expressed this in a phrase that retains all its original force: “The future of humanity passes by way of the family” (Familiaris Consortio, 86).
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Caring for those who suffer is a responsibility incumbent upon the entire human family. For the Church, this duty finds a particular basis in the commandment of Christ to recognize and serve him in those most in need (cf. Mt 25:40). As Benedict XVI noted, “the true measure of humanity is essentially determined in relationship to suffering and to the sufferer” (Spe Salvi, 38). Hence, 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. (Address to authorities, Montevideo, November 6, 2026)
The message of faith and charity continues today:
Faith, too, has been part of the life of the Uruguayan people since their earliest days, and it must be passed on to future generations with creative courage.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus reminds us of the importance of being faithful to the gifts we have received: “Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much” (Lk 16:10). Many men and women, like Bishop Jacinto Vera, lived out these words. Faithful to the vocation they had received, they sowed the seeds of the Gospel in the hearts of the Uruguayan people. Those seeds remain alive in the community, but it is essential to continue providing the necessary conditions for them to grow and reach their full potential. This involves continuing to educate children and young people in the faith, accompanying families, supporting the elderly and carrying out works of charity. (Mass at Paysandú)
Long live the Pope.
