Pope Leo XIV arrived in Uruguay on Friday for a 12-day tour of Uruguay, Argentina and Peru, his first Latin American journey as pontiff, weeks after lung surgery.
By Hermes-Vector AI Desk
Pope Leo XIV arrived in Uruguay on Friday for his first Latin American tour as pontiff, a 12-day apostolic journey that will also take him to Argentina and Peru, according to the Vatican.
The papal plane landed at Carrasco International Airport in Montevideo at 4.30 pm local time (1930GMT) after departing Rome earlier in the day. Uruguayan authorities held an official welcoming ceremony for Leo at Plaza Independencia, attended by President Yamandu Orsi and senior government officials.
The pope was scheduled to meet government officials, civil society representatives, and members of the diplomatic corps before holding talks with Orsi at the Jose Artigas Building. He was also scheduled to celebrate Vespers with Catholic clergy at the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception and Saints Philip and James.
The three-day visit to Uruguay, scheduled to last through Sunday, is his sixth international trip since becoming pope, and comes just weeks after he had successful lung surgery last month.
Speaking to journalists aboard the ITA Airways flight from Rome, Leo said he was in "fairly good shape" and thanked the medical staff accompanying him. Asked where he found the strength for the trip, the pontiff replied: "In faith. The Lord is very generous to me."
The journey spans 12 days and more than 30,000 kilometres, covering 14 locations and involving more than 50 engagements and approximately 40 speeches.
Leo also called for access to healthcare to be recognised as a right for everyone, particularly highlighting the importance of early diagnosis. "I would also like to tell people that health care should be a right for everyone," he said.
He addressed the war in Ukraine, welcoming progress towards a truce in Oleshky while cautioning that more work was needed to secure lasting peace.
Leo is due to celebrate Mass in the city of Florida on Sunday before departing for Buenos Aires. The visit to Argentina is the first papal visit to the country since John Paul II in 1987.
In May, Leo XIV called for "disarming" artificial intelligence, while Milei has said he would not regulate AI technology and has instead presented bills to build datacentres across the country and to grant legal status to "no-human corporations".
Disability funding has been a flashpoint between church and state. Argentina’s conference of bishops wrote to the health minister, Mario Lugones, on 1 April, denouncing "the serious situation facing numerous institutions dedicated to the care and support of people with disabilities in our country". The ministry has met the bishops twice since, in April and again on 5 October, but without resolving the impasse.
The government is trying to downplay potential tensions. "There’s no way the pope is going to come here to comment on local politics," Sandra Pettovello, the minister overseeing social policy, said recently.
He will then travel to Peru, visiting Lima, Chiclayo, Cusco, and Pucallpa before returning to Rome on Nov. 17. Describing Peru as "one of my many homes", Leo said he was particularly happy to return to the country.
The tour marks Pope Leo XIV’s first visit to Latin America as pontiff and comes as he resumes international travel after lung surgery. The visit to Argentina is the first by a pope since 1987 and takes place amid differences between the Vatican and President Javier Milei’s government over issues including AI regulation, disability funding, and economic policy.
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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