Catholic Bishops of Uruguay Launch 3.5 Million Hail Mary Prayer Campaign for Pope Leo XIV's Health Ahead of Visit

The Uruguayan Episcopal Conference has launched a massive spiritual campaign calling on faithful Catholics to pray 3.5 million Hail Marys for the recovery and health of Pope Leo XIV.
The Prayer Campaign
The total number of prayers requested—3.5 million—symbolically aligns with the approximate entire population of Uruguay. To manage this massive prayer drive, the bishops' conference has established a digital counter allowing the faithful to log each time they offer a Hail Mary for the Pontiff's health. [1]

Why Are the Bishops Asking for Prayers?
The urgent call for prayers comes in response to Pope Leo XIV’s current health struggles as he undergoes cancer recovery. The Vatican recently canceled the Pope's public audiences through October 20, 2026, creating uncertainty surrounding his highly anticipated apostolic tour of Latin America. [1]

Impact on the Upcoming Papal Visit

The campaign is heavily tied to preparation for Pope Leo XIV's upcoming tour of South America. [1]
• The Schedule: The Pope is scheduled to arrive in Montevideo, Uruguay, on November 6, 2026, to kick off a demanding 12-day journey that includes stops in Argentina and Peru. [ 2, 3]
• The Outlook: Despite his cancer recovery monitoring, the Uruguayan bishops—led by figures like Archbishop Cardinal Daniel Sturla and Conference President Bishop Milton Tróccoli—remain hopeful that the visit will proceed and bring a "spiritual springtime" to a highly secularized nation. [1]

Other bishops' conferences across Latin America, including those in Mexico and Peru, have also mobilized their respective congregations for a week of prayer, entrusting his recovery to devotions like Our Lady of Guadalupe and the Lord of Miracles.

 They write - We invite everyone to join in, personally, as a family, in parishes, schools and communities.
Let us entrust the Holy Father to the protection of Mary, Virgin of the Thirty-Three, patron saint of our country.

Visit the homepage of www.papaleonuruguay.uy , pray for the Pope, and register the number of Hail Marys you prayed. Your prayers will then be added to the total count for all of Uruguay.

Every Hail Mary counts! Every kind gesture unites us.