Pope Leo XIV will meet with the Uruguayan educational community on Saturday, November 7, in the Aula Magna of the Universidad Católica del Uruguay (UCU) in Montevideo, as part of his apostolic journey that will take him to Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru. The rector, Jesuit Julio Fernández Techera, explained to Vatican News how they are preparing on campus for a visit that, he said, «is like a new boost at this time, a much more consolidated university».
The event is organized by the Episcopal Conference of Uruguay and is not limited to the university community: it brings together representatives from universities, schools, and non-formal education institutions, as well as national authorities. After his speech in the Aula Magna, the Pope will step out onto the San Juan Pablo II terrace, where around 1,500 people will follow the event on a giant screen and receive his greeting and blessing. Among the planned topics are artificial intelligence and its impact on education, with the encyclical Magnifica humanitas as a reference, and the building of peace.
Two Popes in the university’s history
The title of the interview, «Two Popes, one fascinating story», refers to the fact that John Paul II already visited the UCU in 1988, when the institution was only three years old and the current rector was a student. Fernández Techera recalled that «the support he gave for the founding of the university and the significance of that visit were very important». It is also the first papal visit to Uruguay in 38 years, that is, since John Paul II’s trip.
The rector, who has led the university for ten years and will conclude his term in about two months, confessed that he is experiencing the occasion «as an enormous gift from God». Regarding the preparations, he commented with humor that he has been struck by the fact that the organizers «are more demanding than I am».
An afternoon with four events in Montevideo
The meeting is part of an intense day. At 5:00 p.m., according to the travel schedule, Pope Leo XIV will visit the Casavalle community at the parish of Our Lady of Guadalupe. At 6:00 p.m. he will speak in the Aula Magna, where he will be received by the rector and by Cardinal Daniel Sturla, Archbishop of Montevideo; there he will sign the Book of Honor and unveil a commemorative plaque. At 7:00 p.m. he will preside over a prayer vigil with young people at the Estadio Centenario, where he will deliver another speech.
The Aula Magna features a work by artist Carlos Musso, with turquoise lines on a deep blue background dotted with golden stars, uniting carbon and the Southern Cross to evoke life and its origins. Beneath it, the Pope will address the country’s educational community.
InfoVaticana has already reported on the Mass on November 8 at the shrine of the Virgin of the Thirty-Three in Florida, and on the briefing of the trip offered by the Prefect for Communication, Montse Alvarado.