Puerto Rico: 36,000 tickets snapped up in three hours for the Pope's mass in Florida

The 36,000 tickets for the mass that León XIV is scheduled to celebrate in Florida on Sunday, November 8, were snapped up in three hours, according to Metro Puerto Rico. The city has about 35,000 inhabitants. This will be the last mass of his visit to Uruguay, before his departure for Argentina. Hotels are fully booked, residents are offering accommodation on social media, and others are renting out their balconies to see him pass by. The route in the popemobile is expected to cover nearly twelve city blocks.

The pontiff's face already adorns windows and storefronts. The mayor of Florida, Carlos Enciso, has stuck a sticker announcing the celebration of his arrival onto his mate thermos. He acknowledged to the EFE Agency that the city would be too small for the event, while expressing his delight that thousands of people would discover it. Giant screens are being installed in the square for those who will not get into the mass. The Pope is also expected to be declared an illustrious visitor there. Enciso points out that John Paul II had already visited the city in 1988.

Artisanal gifts and a patronal festival

The guasquero Pablo Reyes, a rawhide artisan, spent about a month braiding a rosary for the Pope. He used the leather from a horse that he had to put down for veterinary reasons and which he had kept for a special occasion. The Centro de Artes Escénicas de Florida will, for its part, offer a blanket in the colors of the city's flag, woven by local craftswomen. It will include a crochet tapestry depicting the Virgen de los Treinta y Tres, a work by Marcela Navarro.

November 8 is also the day of the feast of this Virgin, the patron saint of Uruguay. The feast of San Cono, on June 3, is the other major Catholic event in Florida. The priest Gabriel González Merlano, a doctor of canon law, explained to EFE that this devotion has accompanied the inhabitants of the Río de la Plata since before the independence era. According to him, it was born from popular fervor. Bishop Alfonso Bauer considers it exceptional that the Pope chose the day of the national pilgrimage. He hopes that this visit will revive the life of Christian communities.

Three countries in twelve days

According to N Digital, León XIV, 71, will begin a tour of South America on Friday, November 6. It will take him to Uruguay from November 6 to 8, then to Argentina from November 8 to 11, and finally to Peru from November 11 to 17. He underwent surgery on October 13: doctors removed part of his right lung, where they had found a malignant tumor. His medical team deemed him fit to travel and in no need of further treatment for the moment. In Uruguay, he is scheduled to meet with President Yamandú Orsi. In Argentina, he is expected to hold talks with President Javier Milei, at a time when Catholic sectors and the government are at odds over the social consequences of economic policy.

Milei inaugurates an evangelical temple

According to El Nuevo Diario, President Javier Milei inaugurated a temple of the Iglesia Evangélica Bautista Jesús es Rey in Neuquén, Patagonia, on Saturday. He defended "moral como política de estado" and said he was waiting for the Pope with open arms. The newspaper sees this as a gesture toward evangelicals ahead of next year's presidential election, in which Milei will seek reelection. It recalls that, according to a study by the University of Buenos Aires, 17.4% of the population identifies as evangelical.