Pope Leo XIV Leads Prayer Vigil at Montevideo's Centenario Stadium, Urging 70,000 Faithful Not to Settle for Mediocrity
MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay — On the second day of his apostolic journey to Uruguay, Pope Leo XIV led a prayer vigil with young people at Montevideo's Estadio Centenario on the evening of November 7, drawing some 70,000 faithful. The stadium, built for the first FIFA World Cup in 1930, is a symbol of Uruguayan football.
In his remarks, the Pope urged the faithful to aspire to holiness. "Be saints! Do not settle for a merely decent life or for a habitual faith, content with doing only the essential. Do not give God only a part of yourselves — give yourselves completely!" he said. "Do not be afraid, then, to aspire to holiness. Christ did not call us to mediocrity; He called us to a new and full life like His own."
On life's major decisions, he encouraged young people: "Young people, dare to take the step of marrying and starting a family yourselves. Do not be afraid of 'forever'!" He also urged married couples to open their homes to life, and those who feel called to the priesthood or consecrated life not to ignore that call out of fear.
During the vigil, several young people who had discovered the faith in their twenties, and a married couple with five children, shared their testimonies. The Pope led the crowd in praying the Our Father, entrusted those gathered to Our Lady of the Thirty-Three, Uruguay's patroness, and gave his final blessing.
Earlier that day, the Pope had celebrated Mass for some 40,000 people in Paysandu, in western Uruguay. He concludes his Uruguay visit on November 8 and travels to Argentina, visiting Buenos Aires, Cordoba and Lujan from November 8 to 11, before visiting Peru from November 11 to 16 in the second half of his 12-day, three-nation South American journey.
(Source: Vatican News)
Source: Vatican News
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：乌拉圭蒙得维的亚百年纪念体育场航拍。Marcelo Campi摄，CC BY-SA 2.0，经Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: Aerial view of Estadio Centenario in Montevideo, Uruguay. Photo by Marcelo Campi, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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