Thousands of people have come out to greet Pope Leon with his arrival in Uruguay on a 12-day tour of Latin America.

According to the Vatican, about 30 thousand attended the first official ceremony at the Plaza Independentia in Montevideo, where the pope was hosted by Uruguay’s president, Yamandú Orsi, and senior state officials.

During the passage of his convoy, numerous citizens greeted him from the streets while some cheered: Papa Leo, Uruguay is with you.

The pope greeted the faithful, blessed children, and symbolically took the city’s keys from the mayor of Montevideo.

Later, he celebrated Mass in Parque Paris Londons in Paysandú, north of the capital.

Speaking Spanish, Pope Leo praised Uruguay’s development and recalled the country’s Catholic heritage.

His visit is the first of a pope in Uruguay since 1988 and aims to turn the role of Catholic faith into attention in the face of today’s challenges.

Uruguay is considered one of the most secular countries in Latin America, and in recent years it has adopted several laws that have been contrary to traditional Catholic Church attitudes, including legislation on assisted death.

It is the responsibility of all that any person can live with dignity, receive the care he needs, and be accompanied to the natural end of life, the pope said.

He also directed evening prayers at the Montevideo cathedral.

The visit has aroused great interest among local Catholics, while prayer tickets at Centenario Stadium are reportedly sold within two days.

Pope Leon’s next stop will be Argentina, and then Peru, where he has spent about two decades as a missionary bishop.

The pope, 71, said in flight to Montevideo he felt better than he looked, less than a month after lung cancer surgery.

He attributed rapid recovery to belief in God, good doctors, good surgeons, and a generally healthy life – style.

When asked if he felt as good as he seemed, he replied: Maybe even better.