Pope Leo XIV returns to South America after lung cancer surgery
The 12-day tour covers Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru, marking the pontiff's first major overseas trip since his operation last month.
By Ryan Carter ·
Pope Leo XIV arrived in Montevideo, Uruguay, on Thursday to begin a 12-day journey across South America. This is his longest trip to date and his first major overseas visit since undergoing lung cancer surgery. The itinerary includes 10 cities, 36 speeches, and 12 flights, with two segments taken by helicopter.
The route concludes in Cusco, Peru, where the altitude exceeds 11,000 feet. Vatican officials confirmed that Leo completed his two-week recovery period last month and requires no further treatment. Maria Montserrat Alvar, the Vatican communications chief, stated that doctors are confident in the pope's health and that medical care is available on board all aircraft.
Uruguay serves as the first stop for the visit, a choice that surprised some observers given the nation's secular history. Only about one-third of Uruguayans identify as Catholic, according to Mariana Pomiés, director of the public polling firm CIFRA. Pomiés noted that while the state maintains neutrality in religious matters, that neutrality has sometimes become an absolute.
Local reactions in Montevideo have been warm. Ana Maria Saprissa, a 70-year-old retiree at the Blessed Sacrament Church, said the visit brings joy because the pope remembered a small country with many needs. In the working-class Casavalle neighborhood, Father Pablo Coimbra, who has led the community for six years, described the visit as bringing marginalized residents to the center of attention.
The pope's schedule in Uruguay includes an evening prayer service with church leaders on Thursday and a mass in Florida on Sunday. That date coincides with the commemoration of the Virgin of the Thirty-five, a symbol of Uruguay's independence. A proposed address to the parliament was dropped after public backlash, but President Yamandú Orsi will host a welcome ceremony outside the main cathedral.
The trip moves to Argentina on Sunday, fulfilling a wish of the late Pope Francis, who had hoped to return to his homeland but never did. The visit offers a test of Leo's approach to right-wing leaders in the region. President Javier Milei's austerity measures and support for data centers stand in contrast to Leo's advocacy for the poor and his call for ethical safeguards in artificial intelligence.
The final leg returns Leo to Peru, where he spent 20 years as a missionary and bishop. He will meet with President Keiko Fujimori, the daughter of former dictator Alberto Fujimori. Leo has stated that Peru shaped his life more than any other place, and he was critical of military violence during the Fujimori era.
