Leo XIV denounces drug-related violence in Uruguay
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Citizen Digital
Pope Leo XIV denounced violence linked to drug trafficking in Uruguay, where children live in neighbourhoods heavily affected by crime. The statement came during his South American tour, three weeks after surgery for lung cancer, according to Citizen Digital.
Pope Leo XIV denounced violence linked to drug trafficking in Uruguay and the deaths of children in affected neighbourhoods on Saturday 7 November, during a visit to Casavalle, in Montevideo, according to AFP. He urged young people to “dare” to marry and said that Uruguayan children should not have to fear going to school because of violence.
The homicide rate in Casavalle, a deprived neighbourhood of the Uruguayan capital, is four times the national average, according to AFP. Residents described to the pope the gun violence they face, while Leo XIV blessed 12 low-income homes funded by the Church.
During a prayer vigil held on Saturday evening at Montevideo's Centenario Stadium, the pope also addressed the advance of secularisation in South America. Leo XIV is making a 12-day tour of the continent, where he worked for nearly 20 years as a missionary, according to AFP.
