While celebrating Mass at the Marina Shrine of Caacupe near Asuncion in Paraquay on Saturday, Pope Francis paid a heartfelt tribute to the women of Paraquay, calling them the “lifeblood” of the nation who resuscitated the country after a devastating war during the 19th century.

Vatican Radio is reporting on the comments made during the Mass which was attended by an estimated 10,000 people.

Francis was referring to what is now known as the War of the Triple Alliance – a 19th century conflict between Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay that killed 70 percent of the country’s male population.

“As mothers, wives and widows they shouldered the heaviest burdens; they found a way to move their families and their country forward, instilling in new generations the hope of a better tomorrow,” he said. “Then and now, you found the strength not to let this land lose its bearings. God bless your perseverance, God bless and encourage your faith, God bless the women of Paraguay, the most glorious women of America.”

This is not the first time the pope has singled out Paraguayan women for praise. He also referred to them aboard the papal plane after his visit to World Youth Day in Brazil in 2013.

“For me, the Paraguayan woman is the most glorious of Latin America,” he told reporters. “After the war, there were eight women for every man, and these women made a rather difficult choice: the choice of having children to save the homeland, the culture, the faith and the language”.

As Vatican Radio reports, when he was Archbishop of Buenos Aires, his housekeeper and cook was from Paraguay, which was why he made it a point to ask for the kind of local cuisine she fixed for him during his visit to the country.

The pope returns to Rome today after the papal visit which began on July 5 in Ecuador and included visits to Bolivia and Paraguay.

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