Pope Leo XIV Heads to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru on 12-Day Trip

Pope Leo XIV, the first pope born in the United States, is scheduled to fly from Rome to Montevideo on Friday morning to begin a 12-day visit to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru, according to the official programme published by the Holy See Press Office. The Associated Press described it as the longest and farthest trip of his pontificate.

The journey runs from Nov. 6 to Nov. 17 and includes about a dozen flights and stops in 10 cities, Holy See Press Office director Matteo Bruni told reporters at a Nov. 3 briefing, according to Vatican News. The pope is expected to give around 40 speeches, all in Spanish.

Three countries, ten cities

• Uruguay, Nov. 6-8: Montevideo, Paysandú and Florida. Vatican News said it is the first papal visit to Uruguay since John Paul II in 1988.
• Argentina, Nov. 8-11: Buenos Aires, Córdoba and Luján, including a visit to a federal prison complex in Buenos Aires. Argentina is the home country of the late Pope Francis, who never went back after his 2013 election, the AP noted.
• Peru, Nov. 11-17: Lima, Chiclayo, Cusco and Pucallpa, where he is set to meet missionaries and representatives of Amazonian peoples.

The schedule opens Friday with a welcome ceremony at Montevideo’s Plaza Independencia and a visit to Uruguay’s president. Leo is due back at Rome’s Fiumicino airport on the morning of Nov. 17.

Doctors cleared him after lung surgery

The trip follows surgery at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital in October, when doctors removed the lower lobe of his right lung and confirmed a diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma, Vatican News reported. In an Oct. 26 statement, the Holy See Press Office said follow-up tests showed the condition was localized, that no further cancer treatment was needed and that his physician saw no medical reason to stop him from traveling.

Maria Montserrat Alvarado, prefect of the Dicastery for Communication, said at the briefing that the pope had personally confirmed the trip with no changes, Vatican News reported.

A return to Peru

Leo, the former Robert Prevost, lived in Peru for about two decades as a missionary priest, the AP reported, and Vatican News said he also served there as a bishop. Bruni described the Peru stage as, in some respects, a homecoming. He also confirmed that the pope will meet victims of clergy sexual abuse during the journey, according to Vatican News.

Sources: Holy See Press Office, Vatican News, The Associated Press.