Uruguayan Parish Prepares for Pope Leo XIV Visit Amid Rising Gang Violence

OPA WIRE, Nov 1 (OPA) — Pope Leo XIV will arrive in the Borro neighborhood on the north side of Montevideo as part of his Nov. 6-17 tour of Uruguay, Argentina and Peru. Despite a recent cancer diagnosis, the pontiff confirmed the trip, which highlights the Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish’s efforts to provide housing, employment, and addiction recovery services in a community plagued by territorial disputes between drug traffickers.

Violence in the area has intensified, with official data showing that more than 46% of the 98 homicides recorded in Montevideo through September occurred in Borro and its immediate surroundings. Rev. Pablo Coimbra, head of the parish, noted that residents frequently take cover from machine-gun fire, and the government has deployed armored vehicles—originally donated by the United States for U.N. peacekeeping missions—to patrol the streets.

The parish has become a critical social hub, operating housing projects that include over 100 units with modern sanitation systems. These initiatives provide local employment and offer a rare alternative for youth in a neighborhood where, according to local residents, daily activities like school attendance or grocery shopping are often disrupted by the threat of stray bullets and gang activity.

Archbishop of Montevideo Daniel Sturla emphasized that Borro maintains one of the strongest Catholic presences in the country. As the church prepares for the papal visit, it continues to offer daily support to the homeless and those struggling with addiction, filling a void left by a lack of local public infrastructure and recreational opportunities for the neighborhood's youth.