MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Uruguayan Bishops Hold Mass to Honor Legacy of Pope Francis

Cardinal Daniel Sturla, who is set to travel to Rome for the upcoming conclave, emphasized the continuity of Francis’s leadership. Photo: Sebastian Astorga / EFE

Uruguayan bishops held a solemn mass on Wednesday at Montevideo’s Cathedral to honor the life and legacy of Pope Francis, who passed away on Monday at the age of 88. The ceremony drew around a thousand attendees, filling every seat and standing space in the historic church.

“We gathered as bishops from across the country to give thanks and entrust the future that now opens up for the Church,” said Bishop Fabián Antúnez of San José de Mayo, speaking to EFE.

Born in Argentina and later ordained as a priest in Montevideo, Antúnez had personal ties to the late pontiff, having met him in Buenos Aires during his years of Jesuit formation and again during visits to Rome.

“A man of great mercy, deep spirituality, and closeness,” Antúnez recalled. “He leaves us a Church of compassion, one that reached out to the peripheries and spoke the language of today’s men and women.”

He also highlighted Francis’s efforts to include women more prominently in Church structures and his push for a more humane and accessible Vatican bureaucracy.

Cardinal Daniel Sturla, who is set to travel to Rome for the upcoming conclave, emphasized the continuity of Francis’s leadership. “Each pope takes a step forward. Francis did so especially through the message of mercy, reflecting God’s love,” he said.

The service was also attended by political figures, including former Uruguayan President Luis Alberto Lacalle Herrera.

Pope Francis, the first Latin American pontiff, was widely admired in Uruguay for his pastoral style and commitment to social justice.

 

EFE