In an editorial on Pope Leo XIV’s apostolic journey to Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru, a Vatican spokesman said that “Pope Leo is returning home,” “a homeland of the heart.”
Andrea Tornielli, editorial director of the Dicastery for Communication, wrote that nonetheless, “the idea of a homecoming must not overshadow the messages the Pope is bringing to these lands. Above all, he comes to strengthen the Christian people in their faith and to renew the Church’s evangelizing mission, a mission rooted in closeness, tenderness, sharing, support for the poorest, and a commitment to building a more just society together.”
Tornielli added:
The central message Pope Leo is bringing to Latin America is well summed up in the three mottos chosen for the three stops: “I proclaim to you a great joy” for Uruguay; “Everyone is welcome. Go and proclaim” for Argentina; and “Let us open our hearts” for Peru. These words are a call to faith and to the Church’s evangelizing mission, aimed at fostering unity and encounter.