World Church · November 11, 2026
Also published in Português (Brasil)
Pope relies on women as transmitters of faith
Pope Leo XIV especially relies on women regarding the future of the Catholic Church in Uruguay. In many families, it is mothers and grandmothers who preserve the faith and pass it on to the children, he stated during his concluding mass in the city of Florida on Sunday. At the same time, he addressed preconceived notions about masculinity. "A son learns a lot when he sees that his father can kneel before God without thereby becoming less masculine," the pope said.
The Sunday mass at the national shrine in Florida marked Leo XIV's last major appearance in Uruguay before the journey continued to Argentina. The cathedral houses the statue of Mary "Nuestra Señora de los Treinta y Tres," which is associated with today's Uruguay's struggle for independence in 1825.
In light of many Uruguayans' distancing and partially rejecting attitude towards Catholicism, the pope thanked women for their efforts in transmitting the faith. They have "in many families kept a path to God open," for example as godparents, religious sisters, or catechists. However, he did not elaborate on women's involvement in ecclesiastical offices.
Leo XIV acknowledged that the transmission of faith in families is accompanied by disappointments. "You have taught your children to pray, and today these children no longer pray. You have attended mass together, and for several years they have not set foot in any church," the pope stated. He nevertheless appealed to mothers, grandmothers, and great-grandmothers: "Do not tire of passing on the faith."
The Catholic Church sees as one of its most urgent problems the difficulties present in many parts of the world related to the transmission of faith. At the end of October, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith published a text titled Venite ad me, which aims to inspire bishops to discuss weakened faith and appropriate responses to this situation.