Pope Leo arrives in Uruguay for start of South American tour following surgery
Pope Leo XIV has arrived in Montevideo to launch a 12-day tour across Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru, taking on an intensive itinerary just weeks after undergoing lung cancer surgery. The 71-year-old pontiff, who flew nearly 14 hours from Rome, told reporters he never doubted the trip would go forward. Greeted by an estimated 30,000 people, Leo marks Uruguay's first papal visit since Pope John Paul II in 1988. Appearing alongside Uruguayan President Yamandu Orsi, the pope praised the country's dedication to negotiation and the rule of law before scheduled events in the impoverished Casavalle neighborhood.
The turnout comes despite Uruguay being Latin America's most secular state, having legalized recreational marijuana, abortion, same-sex marriage, and assisted dying over Catholic opposition. Even so, tickets for Leo’s prayer vigil at Centenario Stadium sold out in two days.
On Sunday, Leo travels to Argentina, the homeland of his predecessor Francis, where Catholic affiliation fell from 71% to 58% over the past decade. Leo will meet with President Javier Milei—who has drawn Church criticism over austerity cuts harming the poor—as well as labor and business representatives. The final leg takes him to Peru, where Leo ministered for 20 years and obtained citizenship in 2015, with planned stops in Chiclayo, Cusco, and Pucallpa in the Peruvian Amazon.
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