South American bishops welcome announcement of November papal trip
August 06, 2026
Bishops in Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru welcomed the Vatican’s August 5 announcement that Pope Leo XIV will visit the three nations in November.
Bishop Milton Tróccoli of Maldonado-Punta del Este-Minas, president of the Uruguayan Bishops’ Conference, told Vatican News that Pope Leo “will encourage us all, help us to continue along the path of evangelisation and strengthen us in the faith.”
“He will help us to look ahead and to look further, opening up a new and hopeful horizon,” Bishop Tróccoli continued. “I believe that the whole country, despite its different perspectives and sensitivities, will welcome the Pope warmly and listen to his message with interest.”
Archbishop Marcelo Colombo of Mendoza, president of the Argentine Bishops’ Conference, said that “we are overjoyed to welcome the Holy Father to our country, receiving him as a witness to Christ and a pilgrim of His Good News.”
“We know he brings us a message of hope; we know he comes in the name of Christ; and we know he also brings us the joy of the Gospel,” Archbishop Colombo continued. “To have the Pope there—as we so often had Cardinal Bergoglio, Bishop Bergoglio and Father Bergoglio, and as we once welcomed Pope John Paul II—will be a beautiful and truly wonderful opportunity to experience the Pope’s visit in unity and in the spirit of God’s children.”
“I can say with complete sincerity that there is enormous expectation as we prepare to welcome the Holy Father,” Cardinal Carlos Castillo Mattasoglio of Lima, Peru, added.
“We have received this news not only with immense joy, but also as a powerful source of encouragement, inspiring us to embrace our faith with renewed generosity as we prepare to welcome him and reinvigorate our Christian and Catholic life,” the prelate said. “The Pope’s presence can help us reflect and breathe new life into a people who already possess it.”
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Further information:
- Church in Uruguay: Pope’s visit will strengthen faith and hope (Vatican News, 8/5/26)
- Archbishop Colombo: Pope’s visit to Argentina will bring a message of peace (Vatican News, 8/5/26)
- Pope’s visit to Peru: A source of hope for a people seeking peace (Vatican News, 8/5/26)
- Pope to visit Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru in November (CWN, 8/5/26)
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