Pope Leo XIV has departed Rome for Friday’s arrival in Montevideo, Uruguay, marking the beginning of a 12-day tour of South America—his longest international journey since his election last year.
The 71-year-old pontiff is undertaking the three-nation visit following medical clearance from his doctors, who declared him cancer-free after he underwent lung surgery in mid-October.
Vatican officials confirmed that the trip’s schedule remains fully intact, featuring papal masses, state meetings, and an excursion into the Peruvian Andes at an altitude of approximately 3,700 meters.
Following his itinerary in Uruguay, Pope Leo XIV will proceed to Argentina and Peru. The U.S.-born pope, who holds Peruvian citizenship, previously served for over two decades in Peru as an Augustinian missionary and bishop.
Unlike neighboring Argentina and Peru, which maintain strong Catholic traditions and are led by right-wing populist administrations, Uruguay operates under a strict separation of church and state under left-wing alliance President Yamandú Orsi.
