Pope Leo calls on Uruguay's Catholics to be 'bridge builders'

Pope Leo XIV urged Catholics in Uruguay, Latin America's most secular country, to be "bridge builders" for the faith on Saturday and praised the favourite local brew, mate, on the second day of his South American tour. Just three weeks after undergoing surgery for lung cancer, the 71-year-old pontiff has embarked on a 12-day tour of the continent where he served nearly two decades as a missionary. Latin America is the world's most Catholic continent but the number of people who define themselves as Catholic has plummeted in the past 30 years, from 80 percent to 55 percent, a Latinobarometro poll showed. In the northwestern city of Paysandu, Leo urged Uruguayans to be "bridge builders" and "share the joy" of their faith. Watch moreA Green pope? Vatican describes environmental destruction as an 'ecological sin' He drew applause as he paid homage to the local tradition of sharing a herbal infusion called mate (pronounced ma-tay), sipped from a gourd with a metal straw. Mate "teaches us to share and be together", the pope told thousands of faithful who braved early morning drizzle for the mass in a park, many clutching one of the hot drinks. "Mate has even made its way to Rome," Leo jo...