World news and discussion on TalkFuse.
Pope Leo urges husbands to respect wives amid femicide crisis across Latin America
Pope Leo XIV urged husbands and fathers to treat women with respect during a Mass in Uruguay, at the end of the first leg of his Latin American tour. His appeal came against a backdrop of widespread gender-based killings across the region, where most femicides are committed by a current or former partner.
The UN’s regional economic mission recorded more than 3,800 gender-based killings of women in Latin America and the Caribbean in 2024, and nearly 20,000 femicides over five years. Leo, 71, is continuing his 12-day tour in Argentina, where he is due to meet President Javier Milei and visit a disability care centre and a prison.
In short
- Pope Leo called on husbands to respect their wives.
- More than 3,800 women were killed in the region in 2024 because of their gender.
- The pope’s next stop is Argentina, where he will meet President Milei.
Explained simply
Femicide is the killing of a woman or girl because of her gender; in Latin America, the term often refers to killings by current or former partners. The United Nations’ regional body recorded more than 3,800 gender-based killings of women in Latin America and the Caribbean in 2024, and nearly 20,000 over five years.
The Catholic Church is a major religious institution across much of the region, and the pope’s words can reach a large audience. Pope Leo XIV is the head of the Church; his visit to Uruguay was part of a wider tour of Latin America.