Pope re-consecrates Uruguay to Mary at the Florida shrine on November 8, 2026, urging Uruguayans to carry the faith back into homes.

Florida, Uruguay | November 8, 2026

Pope Leo XIV re-consecrated Uruguay to the Virgin Mary on Sunday, November 8, 2026, at the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Thirty-Three in Florida. The Mass closed his time in the country and fell on the feast of its patroness.

At a glance: Pope Leo XIV renewed Uruguay's consecration to Mary at the Cathedral Basilica of Florida on November 8, 2026. St. John Paul II made the original consecration in 1988. Bishop Alfonso María Bauer Ormazábal of Florida addressed the Pope at the end of the Mass.

What did the Pope say during the consecration?

He ended his homily by asking Mary's protection over the land and everyone living on it. Leo said he wished to "consecrate this nation anew," and prayed that God, through her intercession, would keep Uruguay from whatever might lead it away from Christ. He then offered a Golden Rose as a sign of veneration and filial love.

Why does Mary matter so much to Uruguay?

Because the nation's founders asked for her help.

In 1825, those fighting for independence prayed before the image and placed their cause under her protection, the Pope recalled. The wooden carving, believed to have reached the area in the 18th century, is tied to the thirty-three who fought for that freedom. Leo said the episode shows that a people's story makes little sense without God. The basilica that houses the image dates to 1887, according to OSV News.

What else did Pope Leo tell Uruguayans?

He spoke first to mothers and grandmothers, the women who carried the faith through generations, including those whose children no longer pray. Fathers and grandfathers got a challenge too: follow St. Joseph and let the young see faith lived at home.

Then came a call to action. "People of Uruguay: you must set out on the journey," he said, urging believers to re-enter people's homes, listen to their questions and bring them to Christ. That appeal reaches a country where Catholics are a minority and almost half the population professes no faith, Melbourne Catholic reports.

What happened after the Mass?

From Florida, Leo continued to Argentina, the second stop on a tour that also takes in Peru. Before leaving, he thanked Uruguay's civil and religious leaders and the many people who organized his visit.

More to Know

Leo XIV's Uruguay visit ran November 6–8, 2026. It was his first trip to Latin America as pope and the first papal visit to Uruguay since John Paul II in 1988.

His Uruguay stops were Montevideo, Paysandú and Florida.

The Mass coincided with Uruguay's annual national pilgrimage to the Virgin Mary, which is closely tied to the country's independence struggle.

The image took the name "Virgin of the Thirty-Three" after 1825 and many Uruguayans call her the liberator of Uruguay.

In his homily, Leo named Saint María Francisca Rubatto and Blessed martyrs Dolores and Consuelo Aguiar-Mella among the women who shaped Uruguay's faith. He held up St. Monica, who prayed for years for her wandering son, as a model for parents.

On the feast of its patroness, Uruguay was entrusted once more to the care of Our Lady, as its founders did in 1825 and as St. John Paul II did in 1988. Pope Leo XIV’s message to the faithful was hopeful: Mary leads her children to Christ and every mother, father and believer is invited to carry that faith into the homes around them. Business Fortune believes that for the Catholic Church in Uruguay, the consecration renews a bond that has marked the nation since its earliest days.

FAQs

  1. Who first consecrated Uruguay to Mary?

    St. John Paul II made the first consecration in 1988, during his visit to Uruguay. Pope Leo XIV renewed it in 2026.

  2. Where did the Pope re-consecrate Uruguay?

    At the Cathedral Basilica in Florida, part of the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Thirty-Three.

  3. Why is Our Lady of the Thirty-Three important in Uruguay?

    Her image is linked to the 1825 independence effort, when those seeking freedom prayed before it. She is the country's patroness.

  4. When did Pope Leo XIV visit Uruguay?

    He visited from November 6 to 8, 2026, before continuing to Argentina and Peru.

  5. What is the state of the Catholic Church in Uruguay today?

    Catholics are a minority and almost half the population professes no faith, according to Melbourne Catholic's reporting on the visit.

Sources

Vatican News · OSV News via Trenton Monitor · Catholic Culture · Melbourne Catholic · CathNews NZ · Aleteia