World · Latin America · 2 hrs ago
Pope Leo urges men to respect wives amid Latin America femicide crisis
Pope Leo XIV urged men to respect their wives during a homily in Uruguay on Sunday.
He spoke as he finished the first leg of a 12-day Latin America tour.
Femicide means the killing of women because of their gender, and the region recorded nearly 20,000 femicides in five years.
More than 3,800 women were killed for this reason in Latin America and the Caribbean in 2024, according to the UN's regional economic mission.
Most victims were killed by a current or former partner, showing how often the violence involves intimate relationships.
Leo will travel next to Argentina, where he is due to meet President Javier Milei, and then to Peru, where he spent nearly two decades as a missionary.
Pope Leo XIV urged men to respect their wives as he concluded the first leg of his Latin America tour in Uruguay.
He called on fathers and grandfathers to ask forgiveness and live with integrity, even when it requires sacrifice.
The appeal came amid a regional femicide crisis, with nearly 20,000 women killed over the past five years.
More than 3,800 women were killed because of their gender in Latin America and the Caribbean in 2024, according to the UN's regional economic mission.
- Who
- Pope Leo XIV.
- What
- He urged men to respect their wives and called on them to ask forgiveness and live with integrity.
- When
- Sunday, November 8, 2026.
- Where
- During a homily in Uruguay, as he concluded the first leg of his Latin America tour.
- Why
- The region is plagued by gender-based violence and femicide. The sources do not state a specific reason for the appeal.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Latin America recorded nearly 20,000 femicides, most committed by a current or former partner.
More than 3,800 women were killed because of their gender in Latin America and the Caribbean, according to the UN's regional economic mission.
Pope Leo urged men to respect their wives during a homily in Uruguay and concluded the first leg of his tour.
Leo is due to travel to Argentina and then Peru.
- Tour length
- 12 days
- Regional femicides
- Nearly 20,000 over the past five years
- Women killed in 2024
- More than 3,800 in Latin America and the Caribbean
- Next destination
- Argentina
- Final leg
- Peru
2 sources
What people are saying
Dear fathers and grandfathers (...) treat your wives with respect, ask for forgiveness and live with integrity, even when doing so requires sacrifice