Pope Leo XIV lands in Uruguay after 13-hour flight, three weeks post-surgery

Pope Leo XIV touched down in Montevideo, Uruguay, on Friday, commencing a 12-day tour of South America just three weeks after undergoing surgery to remove a lung cancer tumor. The 71-year-old leader of the Roman Catholic Church completed a 13-hour flight from Rome before addressing reporters on the papal plane, stating he feels “fairly good” and ready for the journey.

Leo addressed the uncertainty surrounding his health, noting that while some observers doubted the trip would proceed, he remained convinced it had to go forward. He credited medical assistance for his current condition, adding that he is in “fairly good shape.” Doctors gave the all-clear for travel, and the Vatican confirmed no special medical measures were required beyond standard care for such trips.

The itinerary covers Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru, described as one of the most intense papal foreign trips in decades. In Uruguay, the region’s least Catholic and most secular nation, the pope has a packed three-day schedule. This includes a visit to a neighborhood with heavy gang violence, a mass in Paysandu approximately 375 kilometers from the capital, and another in Florida, about 100 kilometers away.

Cardinal Daniel Sturla, archbishop of Montevideo, told the AFP news agency that interest in the visit extends beyond the Catholic Church. Tickets for the masses in Paysandu and Florida sold out quickly. Leo is scheduled to finish the tour in Peru, a country where he served as a missionary for nearly two decades. He will visit the former Inca capital of Cusco, the Amazon rainforest, and his former diocese of Chiclayo, where he plans a private visit to a chapel he helped rebuild.

Leo has expressed a personal attachment to the region, calling it “so dear to me.” He stated on Wednesday that he hopes the trip will “strengthen faith, renew hope, and rekindle the fire of charity” in countries facing rising inequality, violence, and a decline in Catholic followers. Maria Montserrat Alvarado, the Vatican’s communications chief, noted that Leo passed the required 14-day convalescence period following his October 13 operation. Alvarado highlighted the pope’s stamina, pointing to his singing as evidence of strong lung function.