In Uruguay, Pope Leo XIV deplores the social costs of violent crime
MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay — Pope Leo XIV, speaking to residents of a disadvantaged neighborhood in Uruguay’s capital on Nov. 7, drew attention to one of Latin America’s most urgent social problems: violent crime.
“We cannot turn a blind eye to the fact that there are children in Uruguay who do not go to school for fear of never returning home,” the pope said.
“In a country as rich in resources as this, children should never have to go to bed hungry or be denied the chance of a decent education and a dignified future because of the insecurity that reigns in the streets. Much less should they have to suffer violence to the point of losing their lives.”
Leo made his remarks in a speech to members of a Catholic parish in Casavalle, a lower-income neighborhood in northern Montevideo.
Violent crime is a pressing problem across Latin America, much of it driven by the drug trade and other organized crime. UN figures put the homicide rate in Latin America and the Caribbean at roughly four times the global level, the highest of any world region.
In his brief talk, Leo cited Jesus’s parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:29-37), emphasizing that the man helped by the Samaritan was a victim of violent crime, since he “fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and took off, leaving him half dead.”
The pope lamented that “this story is repeated today in the widespread insecurity and violence that unfortunately threaten the peace of our neighborhoods and even the lives of our loved ones, and all too often society responds with indifference,” like those who passed by the beaten man before the Samaritan helped him.
“Yet we can see another side: the actions of many institutions and people of goodwill who foster peace and offer practical assistance to those in need,” Leo said.
He pointed to the testimonies of hardship and hope recounted by parish members just before he made his own remarks. The pope also acknowledged the U.S.-based Papal Foundation for its financial support for building houses for needy members of the parish.
“We must work together: the Church, civil society and the State. We need to shake off our apathy and advocate for the common good,” the pope said. “Let us therefore unite our efforts and respond generously to the call to build together a homeland of brothers and sisters.”
The pope was scheduled to leave Uruguay on Sunday for Argentina, where he will spend three days before moving on to his former home of Peru, where he will spend five days before returning to Rome.
