Paysandú (Uruguay) (AFP) – In the small Uruguayan town of Paysandu, where Leo XIV will celebrate the first mass of his long tour of Latin America on Saturday, many hope to line their pockets thanks to the papal visit.

Published on: 07/11/2026 - 14:18

Paysandu, about 90,000 inhabitants, expects at least 30,000 pilgrims in a park on the outskirts of the town.

“Business expectations are high, but with great caution,” says Daniel Bellafont, owner of a restaurant in the center of this city in the northwest of the country.

He remembers "The Pope's Toilet", a successful Uruguayan film from 2007 which is now on everyone's minds, according to him.

Inspired by the book "The Day the Pope Went to Melo" by Brazilian Aldyr Garcia Schlee, the film tells, in a tragicomedy tone, how, in 1988, the visit of John Paul II to this border town with Brazil pushed many people to go into debt to invest in food and drinks to sell to the faithful.

In the end, very few pilgrims went to Melo and the hoped-for good deal turned into a bitter failure from which some took years to recover.

In Uruguay, Latin America's most secular country, only 35% of the population identifies as Catholic, compared to 55% in Argentina or 67% in Peru, the two other countries the pope will visit during the 12-day trip, according to a poll by Latinobarómetro.

“A lot invested”

Nearly 40 years after John Paul II, the arrival of another pope revives this painful memory among Uruguayans.

Mr. Bellafont said he had observed “a marked increase in activity” in the city in recent days.

"But we don't know how many people are going to come, if they're going to spend, if they're just passing through... These 30,000 people who go to mass in the park, are they going to stay in Paysandu or leave? So we have to be up to the task, we have to bet. But with caution," he explains.

Local authorities are aware of the fears, but rule out a repeat of an experience like Melo's.

José Manuel Galvan, tourism coordinator for Paysandu department, says authorities are trying to manage expectations to "ensure that no one goes into debt" for Leo XIV's visit.

Rubén and Jessica traveled 350 km from the southern town of Las Piedras to sell flags for a soccer match as well as scarves, hats and bandanas bearing the image of the pope.

But three hours after setting up their stall, the authorities chased them away.

“We sleep in the car, we eat what we can, with poor hygiene... it’s horrible,” says Jessica, devastated.

"We have invested a lot, and if we don't sell now, what are we going to do (with these derivative products)?" she asks.

After a visit of about three hours to Paysandu, the pope will return to Montevideo and visit the Casavalle neighborhood, which has the highest homicide rate in the capital, as well as the Catholic University and the Centenario stadium, where he will preside over a prayer vigil for 60,000 people.

© 2026 AFP

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