Pope Leo XIV: First trip since cancer surgery
The pontiff begins a 12-day itinerary across Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru that includes 12 flights and visits to 10 cities.
By Natalie Cooper ·
Pope Leo XIV arrived in Montevideo, Uruguay, on Thursday to start a 12-day, three-country tour of South America. This is his first major overseas visit since undergoing surgery to remove the lower lobe of his right lung last month. Vatican officials say he has completed a two-week recovery period and requires no further treatment. The journey will take him to Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru, making it his longest and most far-reaching trip to date.
The itinerary is physically demanding. The pope will take 12 flights, including two helicopter rides, and deliver 36 speeches across 10 cities. One stop is Cusco, Peru, which sits more than 11,000 feet above sea level. Even healthy travelers can experience altitude sickness at that elevation and may need supplemental oxygen. Maria Montserrat Alvar, the Vatican's new communications chief, said the pontiff was eager to begin. She noted that his doctors are confident and that he will have medical care available on board.
The choice to start in Uruguay is notable for several reasons. Uruguay is Latin America's most secular nation, with a population of about 3.5 million. Fewer than one-third of residents identify as Catholics, and even fewer practice the faith. Christmas is officially known as Family Day, and Easter week is called Tourism Week. When asked why visit such a secular country, Alvar replied, "Why Not?" She added that the Gospel is meant to go everywhere. Mariana Pomiés, director of the polling firm CIFRA, observed that while secularism is the state's neutrality in religious matters, many in Uruguay treat that neutrality as an absolute.
Local reactions are mixed. Ana Maria Saprissa, a 70-year-old retiree in Montevideo's Pocitos neighborhood, said she is thankful for the visit. She stated that the pope remembered a tiny country with many needs. In the working-class Casavalle neighborhood, Father Pablo Coimbra, who has served as pastoral leader for six years, said the visit places marginalized people in the center of attention. Dozens of volunteers cleaned streets and built a stage outside the Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Casavalle, where the pope is scheduled to visit on Saturday.
The trip also tests the pope's approach to political tensions. He will visit Argentina on Sunday, fulfilling a wish of the late Pope Francis. That visit comes amid rising friction between the Catholic Church and right-wing populist leaders. Argentine President Javier Milei's austerity measures have pushed millions into poverty, a situation that contrasts with Leo's focus on the poor. Milei also favors loose regulation for artificial intelligence, while Leo's recent encyclical called for ethical safeguards to protect human dignity.
The final leg of the tour returns the pope to Peru, where he spent two decades as a missionary and bishop. He became a naturalized Peruvian citizen in 2015 and has said the country shaped his life. He will meet with President Keiko Fujimori. As a priest during her father Alberto Fujimori's dictatorship, Leo criticized military violence and supported the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Juan Martin Guerreiro, a resident of Uruguay, admitted he is less familiar with Leo than with his predecessor. He said he is willing to give the new pope a chance because he is South American, though he acknowledged Leo was born in Chicago.
The visit includes specific local observances. Sunday mass in Uruguay will take place in Florida, a town about an hour from the capital. Residents there commemorate the Virgin of the Thirty-five every November 8, a figure tied to Uruguay's independence from the Brazilian empire in 1825. Uruguay's President Yamandú Orsi will oversee a welcome ceremony outside Montevideo's main cathedral. The pope will later celebrate evening prayers with church leaders and laypeople.
