Pope Leo XIV arrived in Uruguay on Friday to start a 12-day tour of Uruguay, Argentina and Peru, three weeks after lung cancer surgery. The Vatican estimated 30,000 people turned out to see him in Montevideo.
Pope Leo XIV arrived in Uruguay on Friday at the start of a 12-day tour through three South American countries, just weeks after his lung cancer surgery. The 71-year-old pontiff landed at Carrasco International Airport after a nearly 14-hour flight from Rome and was welcomed by Uruguayan President Yamandu Orsi.
The Vatican estimated 30,000 people had turned out to watch him go by and attend his first event in Montevideo. Leo rode through the city in his open-sided popemobile, drawing huge crowds. He told reporters aboard the papal plane: "I confess that from the first day, I had no doubt and was convinced that this trip had to go forward."
At Plaza Independencia, Leo delivered remarks in Spanish to President Orsi and government officials. He praised Uruguay’s development and highlighted mental health challenges in the country, encouraging universal healthcare. He said: "It is everyone’s responsibility to ensure that each person can live with dignity, receive the care they need, and be accompanied until the natural end of his or her life."
Leo underwent surgery on October 13 to remove a cancerous tumor from his right lung. Doctors have given him the all-clear to travel, and the Vatican said no special medical measures were necessary beyond the standard care on papal trips. He told reporters he feels "fairly good" and credited his recovery to "Trusting God, good doctors, good surgeons, and overall I think a healthy lifestyle."
The pontiff will spend three days in Uruguay before heading to Argentina on Sunday. He then travels to Peru, where he spent half his priestly life and became a naturalized Peruvian citizen in 2015. The final leg of the trip is on Wednesday.
Uruguay is Latin America’s most secular country and was the first country in the world to legalize recreational marijuana use. It has since legalized abortion, same-sex marriage and assisted dying, all against opposition from the Catholic Church. The last pope to visit Uruguay was Pope John Paul II in 1988.
Latin America is home to around 40% of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics, for whom the pope is their spiritual leader. However, fewer and fewer people on the continent identify as Catholic.
Sources
This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.
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Pope Leo XIV arrived in Uruguay on November 6, 2026, opening a 12-day tour of Uruguay, Argentina and Peru with calls for negotiation, legal respect and regional unity.
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