Pope Leo XIV launches 12-day South American tour from secular Uruguay
The pontiff's first major trip since lung cancer surgery begins in a nation where few practice Catholicism, before he heads to Argentina and Peru.
By Robert Marshall ·
Pope Leo XIV arrived in Montevideo, Uruguay, on Thursday to begin a 12-day journey across three South American nations. The trip marks his first major overseas visit since undergoing surgery to remove the lower lobe of his right lung last month. Vatican officials confirmed that the 70-year-old pontiff completed his required two-week recovery period and requires no further treatment.
The itinerary is extensive, involving 12 flights, including two helicopter rides, and 36 speeches across 10 cities. The route culminates in Cusco, Peru, which sits more than 11,000 feet above sea level. Altitude sickness is a known risk at that elevation, and travelers may require supplemental oxygen.
Maria Montserrat Alvar, the Vatican's new communications chief, stated that Leo is eager to travel. She noted that his doctors are confident in his health and that medical care will be available on board the planes should any issues arise.
The choice to start in Uruguay presents a logistical and theological challenge for the Vatican. Uruguay is Latin America's most secular nation, with a population of approximately 3.5 million. Mariana Pomiés, director of the polling firm CIFRA, stated that only about one-third of Uruguayans identify as Catholics, and fewer claim to practice the faith. When asked why the pope would visit such a secular country, Alvar responded, "Why Not?" adding that the Gospel is meant to go everywhere.
Local preparations in Montevideo have been modest compared to typical papal visits. Few welcome banners line the streets, though large posters of the pope adorn city churches. In the upscale Pocitos neighborhood, a banner drapes the facade of the Blessed Sacrament Church. Ana Maria Saprissa, a 70-year-old retiree, expressed gratitude that the pontiff visited a country she described as having many needs. She said the visit brings joy because the pope remembered the small nation.
Uruguay has maintained a strict separation of church and state for over a century. Christmas is officially known as Family Day, and Easter week is designated as Tourism Week. Pomiés argued that some officials misinterpret secularism as anti-religion. She stated that secularism should represent state neutrality in religious matters, but in Uruguay, that neutrality has become an absolute.
On Saturday, Leo is scheduled to visit the Casavalle neighborhood, a working-class area about 30 minutes north of the capital. Volunteers cleaned streets and erected a stage outside the Our Lady of Guadalupe Church. Father Pablo Coimbra, who has served as the community's pastoral leader for six years, said the visit places marginalized residents at the center of attention for the first time. A planned address to the parliament was scrapped after public backlash, but President Yamandú Orsi will oversee a welcome ceremony outside the main cathedral.
On Sunday, the pope will celebrate mass in Florida, a town about an hour from Montevideo. The location coincides with the local commemoration of the Virgin of the Thirty-five, a symbol of Uruguay's independence from the Brazilian Empire in 1825.
By the following Sunday, Leo will move to neighboring Argentina. The visit fulfills a wish of his predecessor, Pope Francis, who died before he could return to his homeland. The trip offers an early test of how Leo will handle tensions with right-wing populist leaders. President Javier Milei, who has pushed austerity measures that have increased poverty, clashes with Leo's advocacy for the poor. The two also hold differing views on artificial intelligence regulation, with Leo's recent encyclical calling for ethical safeguards.
The final leg of the tour returns Leo to Peru, where he spent two decades as a missionary and bishop. He became a naturalized Peruvian in 2015 and said the country shaped his life. He will meet with President Keiko Fujimori and visit sites where he served as a priest during the dictatorship of Alberto Fujimori, a period when Leo was critical of military violence and supported the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
