Pope Leo XIV arrives in South America

MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay — Pope Leo XIV arrived in South America on Nov. 6, kicking off an 11-day trip that will take him from the continent’s Southern Cone to the highlands of the Andes and Amazon rainforest.

The papal flight landed in Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay, at 4:17 p.m. local time (2:17 p.m. ET). Leo was scheduled later in the day to address President Yamandú Orsi and other dignitaries, and then to lead a vespers service in the city’s cathedral with Uruguay’s bishops, clergy, and religious.

It is Leo’s first visit to the continent since his election as pope in May 2025, and one filled with personal significance for him. After stops in Uruguay and Argentina, the trip will culminate in Peru, where the man then known as Robert Prevost spent about 20 years as a missionary and a bishop.

Leo is making the demanding journey, which features over 40 public and private events in 14 cities and towns — including Cusco, over 11,000 feet above sea level — despite having undergone surgery for lung cancer less than a month ago, when doctors removed part of his right lung.

The pope’s packed schedule includes many of the usual elements of an international papal visit, including open-air Masses; meetings with the local hierarchy; prayer vigils with youth; and visits to Church-affiliated charitable institutions.

Leo also will address local political leaders, when he is likely to speak about the Church’s social teaching and in some cases to highlight where that teaching conflicts with government policies.

Argentina and Peru are among a majority of Latin American countries led by right-wing governments, and Leo may voice concerns there about cuts to social spending, immigration enforcement, and the need to respect human rights and the rule of law amid campaigns against drug trafficking and other forms of crime that plague the region.

In Uruguay, one of Latin America’s most secular countries, currently under a center-left government, Leo may criticize last year’s legalization of euthanasia.

The Argentina visit will prominently feature a tribute to Leo’s immediate predecessor, Pope Francis, a former archbishop of Buenos Aires, who never returned to his native land as pope.

The longest portion of the visit, and its emotional core, will be Leo’s five days in Peru, two of them in his former diocese of Chiclayo, where the U.S.-born pontiff will celebrate his return to his adopted home.