Pope Leo XIV to 100,000 at Vigil "We need to safeguard Christ at the center of our lives through prayer, Mass, Confession..." FULL TEXT to Youth in Uruguay

Pope Leo XIV joined youth for a prayer vigil in Uruguay. He arrived at approximately 7:20 pm (11:20 pm Rome time),  in an open car at the Centenary Stadium for the Prayer Vigil, in the presence - according to local authorities - of 100,000 people in the Stadium and 70,000 inside the stadium and 30,000 who followed the vigil in the surrounding areas.
At the end of the open-top car tour among the faithful, the Pope, accompanied by the Archbishop of Montevideo, His Eminence Cardinal Daniel Fernando Sturla Berhouet, took his place on the stage.

After the visit anthem and the introduction by the moderator, the Cardinal Archbishop of Montevideo offered a few words of welcome. Those present then enjoyed a brief artistic and musical performance.

Subsequently, the Holy Father listened to the testimonies of a young catechist, a newly baptized young man, and a Catholic family.

At the end of this moment, after the introduction to the moment of prayer and the reading of the Gospel, the Pope delivered his speech.

The meeting concluded with the Prayer of the Faithful, the Our Father, the blessing, the giving of gifts, and a final song.

ADDRESS OF THE HOLY FATHER LEO XIV

Centenario Stadium (Montevideo)
Saturday, November 7, 2026
___________________________________

Dear brothers and sisters, dear Uruguay: good night!

I thank God for the opportunity He has given me to be here with you. I also thank Cardinal Sturla, Archbishop of Montevideo, for his words of welcome, as well as Federica, Giovanni, and the Gutiérrez Hernández family for the sincerity with which they have shared their testimonies. I know that behind what can be seen in a brief visit lie years of faithfulness. I think of the families who have passed on the faith, the priests and consecrated persons who have given their lives, the lay people—many of them young—who sustain their communities, and so many others who dedicate themselves to serving others out of love for God. Thank you for making Jesus Christ present in so many lives. He chose us to go and bear fruit (cf. Jn 15:16), and perhaps much of that fruit remains where we ourselves cannot even see it. The Church is deeply grateful to you.

Being with you tonight allows me to share a reflection on something many Christian communities are experiencing today: the advance of secularization and an increasingly widespread religious indifference. In many places, faith is no longer transmitted with the naturalness of previous generations, and the number of those who go through a significant part of their lives without a regular relationship with the Church or with religious practice is growing. Believers who are on pilgrimage in Uruguay have had to learn to live and proclaim their faith in this context, as we have heard tonight. Therefore, their experience can help brothers and sisters in other parts of the world who are beginning to discover, in different ways, what it means to be a minority. But even in these circumstances, there are those who persevere: parents who pray with their children, teachers who strive to live and bear witness to the faith, young people who have discovered Christ and wish to follow him even when they feel alone, communities that continue to meet, and priests who travel great distances to bring the Sacraments to the faithful. Thinking about all this, a small biblical town kept coming to mind: Bethlehem.

The prophet Micah had called it “small among the clans of Judah” (5:2); Saint Matthew, on the other hand, would say: “By no means are you the least” (2:6). Bethlehem remained small. Nothing had changed in its size or its political importance. Perhaps Bethlehem can teach us something about this reality: when we are few, when our strength wanes, or when we realize that our social presence is no longer the same, there is a risk of beginning to judge our situation with very human criteria. The Gospel invites us to see things differently. God chose Bethlehem, and that choice alone is enough to prevent us from equating smallness with insignificance.

Just think of the Eucharist: the Lord of the universe present under the humble appearances of bread and wine! This same divine logic is already evident in his birth. Saint Luke tells us that, when the time came for the birth, “there was no room for them” (2:7). Everything was taken. Perhaps we can see in this passage an image of our current indifference. Life becomes filled with occupations, affections, projects, and distractions, until the absence of God ceases to be felt as an absence. We can even come to live without seeking him and, even more, without realizing how much we need him.

However, Christ comes, but the house is full. There is no room inside, and he ends up lying in a manger; shortly afterward, Herod will try to kill him, unable to bear a reign he cannot control. There is something about Bethlehem that keeps repeating itself: God can be considered unnecessary, and faith confined to the private sphere, as if it had nothing to contribute to communal life. When we try to build a world without God, we run the risk of leaving humanity without a place as well. But none of that changes the reality: that Child is God, and he comes to save us . And in this " us, " we are all included, because indifference can also creep, little by little, into the lives of those of us who believe.

Bethlehem asks us a very simple question: Is there room for Him? Room in our time, in our logic, in our homes; room to listen to Him, to receive His forgiveness, to allow ourselves to be corrected by His Word. We need to safeguard Christ at the center of our lives through prayer, Mass, Confession, and meditative reading of the Gospel. We must all return again and again to be disciples. If we want others to find Christ, we need to personally know the way to Bethlehem.

To Bethlehem also came some Magi who had seen a star from afar. They were not experts in the Scriptures, they didn't know where their journey would end, and they couldn't even explain what they were looking for. But that light awakened in them a yearning that set them on their way. Dear friends, you, with humility and simplicity, can reflect the light of Christ in your lives. Perhaps there are people who never open a Bible of their own accord, who haven't set foot in a church for years, or who can't even say whether they believe in God. But, seeing you, the desire and the search for God may awaken in them; they may discover that it is worth risking their lives.

Young friends, dare to take the step of getting married and starting a family. Don't be afraid of "forever"! Married couples, open your homes to life, even when the world tells you that a child is a burden. If anyone feels that Christ is calling them to leave everything to follow Him in the priesthood or consecrated life, don't ignore that voice for fear of losing other opportunities. When being just and honest comes at a price, pay it. When forgiving seems like a defeat, forgive. When everyone tells you to think of yourselves first, don't be afraid to put yourselves last; be willing to give up time, money, comfort, and plans to serve others. May those who look at you wonder: "Why do they live like this? Where do they get this freedom? Why do they love each other so much?"

The star the Magi saw was not their destination. Their mission was to lead them to Bethlehem, where Christ is. If our lives awaken a question, they will have borne fruit when that question guides someone to Jesus. To shine brightly, we don't need to be many, but rather to reflect the light of the Lord.

Saint Luke now takes us to another scene: shepherds spending the night watching over their flocks. They haven't followed the star, they haven't embarked on any journey, and they don't seem to be searching for anything. They are simply in the midst of their lives, doing what they do every night. And it is precisely there that God comes to meet them: “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy that will be for all the people” (2:10). This announcement inspires the motto of my visit among you . I bring you good tidings of great joy!

These words should always occupy a central place in the life of the Church. Good news needs witnesses. And we have received news that deserves to be proclaimed to the world: Jesus Christ! The Son of God has become man! He is God with us!

Through Him we know that sin can be forgiven. We can accompany those who are dying and tell them that their life will not end in nothingness. We can bring bread and wine to the altar and receive His Body and Blood. We can say to those who have fallen: “Get up, you can still begin again.” Look at what has been entrusted to us! Jesus Christ is our hope! Society can find many valuable things in other institutions, but none can replace the proclamation that God’s love is stronger than death, hatred, violence, war, and sin. That is the joy we carry, that is the joy the Pope comes to remind you of.

Notice that the angel adds that this joy is meant for "all the people." He doesn't say "for those who were waiting for it," nor "for those who are perfect." Some people, like the Magi, are already searching, and we must accompany them on their journey. Others, however, like the shepherds of Bethlehem, are not searching for anything. This joy must come to them in the midst of their darkness.

The shepherds, after hearing the announcement, said to one another, “Let us go to Bethlehem” ( Lk 2:15). There they found Mary, Joseph, and the Child. The evangelist adds that they returned to their fields “glorifying and praising God” ( Lk 2:20). They returned to the same work, the same paths, probably the same problems. But they were no longer the same. They had found Christ.

Dear friends, may this encounter be like Bethlehem, so that you may return to your lives transformed! May Christ truly enter into what you do, what you love, what you choose, and even into what no one sees. Be holy! Do not settle for a merely adequate life or a habitual faith content with the bare minimum. Do not give God only a part of yourselves; give yourselves completely! Saints mean men and women overflowing with the abundance of life in Christ, free and authentic, people whose lives make a resounding "yes" to love, truth, and happiness irresistible. Do not be afraid to aspire to this. Christ did not call us to mediocrity; he called us to a new and full life like his own.

Dear brothers and sisters, dear Uruguay: let it be known that we have been to Bethlehem! Let it be known that Christ lives and that encountering Him makes all the difference. That same Jesus who was born in Bethlehem, who died and rose again, lives forever and remains with us. Christ truly awaits us, present in the Eucharist. How beautiful that Bethlehem means precisely “house of bread”! There was born the One who would give himself to us as the Bread of Life. And today we can continue to encounter Him, so close and so humble, in every tabernacle. Seek Him there, in Eucharistic adoration. Speak to Him as to a friend and let Him gaze upon you.

Let us also place our lives under the gaze of Our Lady of the Thirty-Three. May she, the Morning Star, who leads us to her Son, teach us to recognize him and follow him. Let us ask the Lord for the grace to always respond, as she did, to his call: Here I am, Lord, here is your servant, your handmaid, let it be done to me according to your word!

Thank you so much.

Source - https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/it/bollettino/pubblico/2026/11/07/0882/01641.html