Pope Leo XIV Visits Juanicó Parish on Final Morning in Uruguay

Pope Leo XIV visited the Santa Teresita del Niño Jesús y de la Santa Faz parish in Juanicó, Uruguay, on the morning of November 8. He blessed those gathered outside the church and spoke about his family’s devotion to Saint Thérèse before continuing toward Florida. Local authorities estimated that about 3,000 people had come to welcome him. “In my family, especially with my father, we had a great devotion to Saint Thérèse,” Leo said. He described the stop on his way to celebrations for Our Lady of the Thirty-Three as an occasion for devotion and gratitude, and encouraged Catholics to express their faith. Canelones governor Francisco Legnani, Juanicó mayor Fernando Luquez and local church authorities welcomed the pope. Gifts included wine, dulce de leche and books about the locality’s history. Worshippers had travelled from Las Piedras, Progreso, Canelones, Sauce, Cerrillos and other communities in the department; some then followed the motorcade toward Florida. The parish stands at kilometre 38 of Route 5. Its foundation stone was laid in 1929, and the church opened in 1931 as Uruguay’s first chapel dedicated to Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus. The Vatican’s itinerary for the November 6–17 visit to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru lists Mass at Florida’s Cathedral Basilica and National Shrine of Our Lady of the Thirty-Three on November 8, followed by departure for Buenos Aires.