Papal Visit: Pope Leo XIV to Visit Uruguay's Most Violent Neighborhood

Pope Leo XIV will visit the Borro neighborhood on the north side of Montevideo, Uruguay, at the start of his Nov. 6-17 tour of South America. The visit occurs days after the pope confirmed his itinerary despite a recent cancer diagnosis. Borro is one of the most violent areas in the country, serving as a focal point for drug trafficking and territorial disputes between gangs.

The Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish is the specific site of the papal visit. The church builds homes, promotes job creation, and supports addicts in their recovery. It acts as a refuge for residents who face daily gunfire. Lucía Pintos, a 21-year-old student training to become a teacher in the neighborhood, described the daily danger. She said, “You can’t let your child go out to play or do the shopping because there’s gunfire.”

Official counts show that 98 homicides were registered in Montevideo up to September. This figure is 13.5% higher than the same period last year. More than 46% of those killings occurred in Borro and surrounding neighborhoods. Uruguay still maintains a low homicide rate for the region, with about 10 homicides per 100,000 people last year. However, Interior Minister Carlos Negro described the situation in October 2025 as having “epidemic homicide rates.”

The government has begun patrols with armored vehicles in the area. These vehicles were originally donated by the United States for U.N. peacekeeping missions. Rev. Pablo Coimbra, the head of the Our Lady of Guadalupe parish, explained that families know when to go inside. He said, “When the shootings start, they throw themselves to the ground, because a stray bullet can hit anyone. It’s bursts of machine-gun fire, and the bullets land wherever they land.”

Archbishop Daniel Sturla stated that no other place in the country has such a strong Catholic presence as Borro. He toured the neighborhood with reporters a day after receiving a Vatican delegation. The dirt roads in Borro often descend toward a stream, with mud seeping into nearby houses. A new concrete road was prepared for the papal visit, cutting through the area.

The parish is leading social housing projects where residents are building more than 100 units with sanitation systems. This effort generates local employment. Neighbors bring the wounded to the church because ambulances will only go as far as the parish. Coimbra noted that gangs used to expel families at gunpoint to set up drug dens, forcing them to seek refuge in the parish. He said, “The presence of the church makes the difference between drug use and nonuse, between continuing to study and not.”

Many young people seeking to leave a life of crime find solace in faith. The parish celebrates a Mass for homeless people on Mondays, drawing dozens from all over the city. Coimbra said, “They come for the bathroom and two meals, but mainly to be heard.” According to Catholic Church data, only 2,200 of the 30,000 newborns in Uruguay were baptized in 2025.

Pablo Acosta, a 28-year-old born in the neighborhood, works informally in local markets and sends money to his 10-year-old son. He said, “I have a gunshot wound in my stomach and stab wounds. I owed money, I was involved where I shouldn’t have been, but for the past month I’ve been trying to quit using drugs.” Coimbra said the church must intervene because residents have no other opportunities, such as clubs or English classes, leading to idleness.

The soccer field restored by the parish is where Lautaro Martínez, a promising young player, practices. Training has been suspended these days as a precaution following recent shootings. The narrow streets of Borro converge on this field, which serves as a gathering point for the community.