A parish in Uruguay struggling with violence prepares for Pope Leo XIV’s visit

MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay (AP) — Lucía Pintos is training to become a teacher in Borro, a Uruguayan neighborhood hit hard by the spread of drug trafficking, where a parish that will welcome Pope Leo XIV in a few days serves as a fragile but much-needed refuge from violence.

“It’s a painful reality, because the children have to go to school to have lunch or an afternoon snack,” the 21-year-old Pintos said. “You can’t let your child go out to play or do the shopping because there’s gunfire.”

Leo will visit the neighborhood on the north side of Uruguay's capital, Montevideo, at the start of his Nov. 6-17 tour of Uruguay, Argentina and Peru, which he confirmed despite his recent cancer diagnosis. The pontiff will visit the Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish, which builds homes, promotes job creation and supports addicts in their recovery.

Neighborhoods like Borro live with the sound of gunfire and territorial disputes between drug dealers. Concerns about violence have led the government to begin patrols with armored vehicles, which were originally donated by the United States for U.N. peacekeeping missions.

“Families know that at a certain time they have to go inside,” said Rev. Pablo Coimbra, the head of the Our Lady of Guadalupe parish. “When the shootings start, they throw themselves to the ground, because a stray bullet can hit anyone. It’s bursts of machine-gun fire, and the bullets land wherever they land.”

The Archbishop of Montevideo, Daniel Sturla, said that there is no other place in the South American country with such a strong Catholic presence as Borro. A day after receiving a Vatican delegation in preparation for Leo’s visit, he toured the neighborhood with The Associated Press.

According to an official count, of the 98 homicides registered up to September in Montevideo — 13.5% more than in the same period last year — more than 46% occurred in Borro and surrounding neighborhoods. Uruguay still has a low homicide rate for the region, with about 10 homicides per 100,000 people last year.

In October 2025, Interior Minister Carlos Negro said that Uruguay had “epidemic homicide rates” and vowed to reduce them.

As the dirt roads descend toward a stream adjacent to Borro, mud becomes omnipresent. It often seeps into nearby houses.

That landscape is now cut by a concrete road prepared for the papal visit. The narrow streets converge on a soccer field restored by the parish, where Lautaro Martínez, a promising young player, practices. However, training has been suspended these days as a precaution following recent shootings.

In this context, the church has become a refuge. Neighbors bring the wounded there because ambulances will only go as far as the church. Coimbra said that gangs used to expel families at gunpoint to set up drug dens, forcing them to seek refuge in the parish.

To combat crime, the parish is leading social housing projects in which residents are building more than 100 units with sanitation systems — an effort that in turn generates local employment.

“The presence of the church makes the difference between drug use and nonuse, between continuing to study and not,” the priest said.

Many young people seeking to leave a life of crime find solace in faith. On Mondays, the parish celebrates a Mass for homeless people, drawing dozens from all over the city.

“They come for the bathroom and two meals, but mainly to be heard,” Coimbra said.

When Holy Communion is given, most remain with their arms crossed over their chests, a sign indicating they haven't been baptized. According to data from the Catholic Church, in 2025 only 2,200 of the 30,000 newborns in Uruguay were baptized.

Pablo Acosta, 28, was born in the neighborhood and got mixed up in crime. Today he spends his days between shelters and the streets, works informally in local markets, and sends money to his 10-year-old son, whom he doesn’t see because of his addictions.

“I have a gunshot wound in my stomach and stab wounds. I owed money, I was involved where I shouldn’t have been, but for the past month I’ve been trying to quit using drugs,” he said.

Extending a hand to those who have strayed down dark paths and preventing youth from taking that road, Coimbra said, is the church’s task.

“They have no other opportunities, no club, no English classes, no rugby, and in some cases, barely any soccer,” Coimbra said. “So there is a lot of idleness, and that’s where we need to intervene.”

Follow AP’s Latin America coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

A family gathers in the Borro neighborhood in Montevideo, Uruguay, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. ahead of Pope Leo XIV's scheduled visit in November. (AP Photo/Matilde Campodonico)

A person sits on a bench as Father Pablo Coimbra walks past on his way to celebrate a weekly Mass for the homeless organized by Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish, which Pope Leo XIV is scheduled to visit in November, in the Borro neighborhood of Montevideo, Uruguay, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Matilde Campodonico)

An aerial view of the Borro neighborhood in Montevideo, Uruguay, Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026, ahead of Pope Leo XIV's scheduled visit in November. (AP Photo/Matilde Campodonico)

Teacher trainee Lucia Pintos, center back left, attends a Mass honoring Mother Teresa at Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in the Borro neighborhood of Montevideo, Uruguay, Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026, ahead of Pope Leo XIV's scheduled visit to the parish in November. (AP Photo/Matilde Campodonico)

Father Pablo Coimbra blesses a person with crossed arms during a weekly Mass for the homeless at Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish, which Pope Leo XIV is scheduled to visit in November, in the Borro neighborhood of Montevideo, Uruguay, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Matilde Campodonico)

HAMILTON, New Zealand (AP) — Tim Seifert made 93 from 50 balls and Glenn Phillips passed 50 for the fourth time in the series Sunday as New Zealand beat India by seven wickets in the fifth and final T20 international.

India won the series 3-2.

Seifert and Phillips put on 86 for the third wicket as New Zealand ran down India's total of 191-8 with two overs in hand.

Ishan Kishan made 61 from 32 balls and captain Shreyas Iyer 50 from 23 to put India in a strong position at the midpoint of its innings, but later batters added only 80 runs in the last 10 overs.

Seifert seemed bound for his maiden T20 international century when he chopped a ball from Nitish Kumar Reddy onto his stumps with 24 runs needed for victory.

Phillips had been happy to play in Seifert's shadow but when his partner was out, he stepped up and finished unbeaten on 65 from 38 balls as New Zealand won convincingly.

Phillips' 341 runs in the series included a century and three half-centuries and was a record for a five-match bilateral series.

“The calmness and composure I've had is a nice feeling,” Phillips said. “I tried to go out there with a clear mind and play every ball on its merits and try to go out there and be a little more of the hunter and a little less of the prey.”

India failed to fully capitalize on the superb partnership between Kishan and Iyer that repaired the India innings after the loss of openers Abishek Sharma (1) and Sanju Samson (4), who both fell to Adam Milne inside the first four overs.

Kishan and Iyer added 93 from 43 balls for the third wicket, putting India in a powerful position at 111-2 after 10 overs.

The pair preyed particularly on spinners Mitchell Santner and Michael Bracewell, taking 27 runs from Bracewell in the 10th over. Santner was making his 143rd T20 appearance, a record for New Zealand.

Kishan reached his half-century from 28 balls with four fours and four sixes, while Iyer's first half-century of the series came from only 22 deliveries with four sixes and three fours.

Both players were aided by New Zealand's poor catching and fielding.

Kishan fell in the 11th over, hoisting a ball from pacer Blair Tickner directly to mid-wicket and Iyer followed in the next over, top-edging a pull shot to wicketkeeper Tim Seifert.

India's scoring rate slowed as it slipped to 133-5 but Naman Dhir and Nitish Kumar Reddy enlivened proceedings again, sharing 46 runs from 30 balls for the sixth wicket.

Milne was superb, taking 4-19 from his four overs while Bracewell conceded 38 runs for just two overs.

The teams meet in the first match of a five-match one-day series at Auckland on Wednesday.

See AP’s full cricket coverage here

New Zealand's Tim Seifert bats during the T20 cricket international between New Zealand and India in Hamilton, New Zealand, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026. (Andrew Cornaga/Photosport via AP)

New Zealand's Glenn Phillips watches his shot during the T20 cricket international between New Zealand and India in Hamilton, New Zealand, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026. (Andrew Cornaga/Photosport via AP)

New Zealand's Glenn Phillips celebrates his fifty during the T20 cricket international between New Zealand and India in Hamilton, New Zealand, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026. (DJ Mills/Photosport via AP)

New Zealand's Glenn Phillips bats during the T20 cricket international between New Zealand and India in Hamilton, New Zealand, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026. (Andrew Cornaga/Photosport via AP)

India's Nitish Kumar Reddy bats during the T20 cricket international between New Zealand and India in Hamilton, New Zealand, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026. (Andrew Cornaga/Photosport via AP)

Ishan Kishan of India bats during the T20 cricket international between New Zealand and India in Hamilton, New Zealand, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026. (DJ Mills/Photosport via AP)

India's Ishan Kishan celebrates his fifty during the T20 cricket international between New Zealand and India in Hamilton, New Zealand, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026. (DJ Mills/Photosport via AP)

Fans cheer during the T20 cricket international between New Zealand and India in Hamilton, New Zealand, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026. (Andrew Cornaga/Photosport via AP)

India's Prince Yadav, centre, celebrates with teammates after taking the wicket of New Zealand's Bevon Jacobs during the T20 cricket international between New Zealand and India in Auckland, New Zealand, Friday, Oct. 30, 2026. (Andrew Cornaga/Photosport via AP)

New Zealand's Glenn Phillips celebrates his century during the T20 cricket international between New Zealand and India in Auckland, New Zealand, Friday, Oct. 30, 2026. (Andrew Cornaga/Photosport via AP)