Thousands pour into a park in Uruguay for Pope Leo’s first Mass in South America

Thousands of people poured into a city on the Uruguay River on Saturday for Pope Leo XIV’s first Mass in South America, as the pontiff sought to raise the profile of the Catholic Church in Uruguay, the region’s most secular country.

More than 30,000 people — many from Uruguay but also from neighboring Argentina and Brazil — had registered to attend the Mass in the Parque París Londres, a sprawling green space on the southern edge of Paysandú — a city that no pope has ever visited before.

Paysandú, around 230 miles from the capital, Montevideo, was hosting Leo’s first Mass at the start of his three-nation South American tour that was in doubt after he underwent lung cancer surgery on Oct. 13.

Crowds of faithful in rain ponchos, many in the Vatican’s yellow, began streaming in when the gates opened at 5:30 a.m. as a band played popular Spanish hymns. Some in the crowd said they were deeply moved that Leo pressed on with his ambitious 12-day tour despite his recent cancer diagnosis.

“He’s the representative of Christ but he’s human. And we weren’t sure if he could make it, but he pushed through for us,” said Soledad Sánchez…

Original source: https://www.nbcnews.com/business