Pope Leo XIV Arrives in Uruguay for 12-Day South American Trip

Pope Leo XIV arrived in Montevideo, Uruguay, on Thursday to begin a 12-day tour of three South American countries.

The trip is the longest and most far-reaching journey of his papacy and marks his first major visit abroad since undergoing surgery last month to remove the lower lobe of his right lung.

Vatican officials confirmed that the pope has completed his two-week recovery period and requires no further treatment for his condition.

The itinerary includes 12 flights, two helicopter rides, 36 speeches, and visits to 10 cities. One stop is Cusco, Peru, which sits at an elevation of more than 11,000 feet. Travelers at that altitude may experience sickness and require supplemental oxygen.

Maria Montserrat Alvar, the Vatican's new communications chief, stated that the pontiff was eager to start the journey. She noted that his doctors are confident in his health and that medical care is available on board if needed.

Uruguay is the first destination on the trip, a choice that surprised some observers given the nation's secular history. The country has a population of about 3.5 million, and only about a third of Uruguayans identify as Catholics. In Uruguay, Christmas is officially designated as Family Day, and Easter week is known as Tourism Week.

Alvar said the pope believes the Gospel is meant to go everywhere. In the capital city, few welcome banners are visible, but large posters of the pope adorn local churches. A huge banner hangs on the facade of the Blessed Sacrament Church in the Pocitos neighborhood. Ana Maria Saprissa, a 70-year-old retiree, said the visit brings joy because the pope remembered a small country with many needs.

The pope is scheduled to visit the Casavalle neighborhood on Saturday, where volunteers cleaned streets and built a stage outside the brick Our Lady of Guadalupe Church. Father Pablo Coimbra, who has served as the community's pastoral leader for six years, said the visit places a marginalized area in the center of attention.

A proposed speech to the Uruguayan parliament was scrapped after public and political backlash. President Yamandú Orsi will oversee a welcome ceremony outside Montevideo's main cathedral, where the pope will celebrate vespers with church leaders and laypeople.

On Sunday, the pope will hold mass in Florida, a town about an hour from the capital. The visit coincides with the annual commemoration of the Virgin of the Thirty-five, a symbol of Uruguay's independence from Brazil in 1825.

The pope will move to Argentina on Sunday, fulfilling a wish of his predecessor, Pope Francis, who died before making the trip. The visit offers a test of how Leo will navigate relations with right-wing leaders in Latin America. President Javier Milei has pursued austerity measures that have increased poverty and has supported the development of data centers and artificial intelligence. Leo's first encyclical called for ethical safeguards in AI to protect human dignity.

The final leg of the tour returns the pope to Peru, where he served as a missionary and bishop for two decades. He became a naturalized Peruvian citizen in 2015. He will meet with President Keiko Fujimori, the daughter of former dictator Alberto Fujimori. During the Fujimori era, Leo criticized military violence and supported the country's Truth and Reconciliation Commission.