Pope Leo XIV arrived in Montevideo, Uruguay, late Friday evening to begin a twelve-day journey through South America. Following a recent lung cancer surgery, the 71-year-old Pontiff was received at the capital’s airport by Yamandu Orsi, marking the start of his longest international trip since his election in May 2025.
The journey carries heavy symbolic and political weight far beyond religious ritual. As the Pope moves through Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru, he enters a region defined by deep social polarization and shifting political tides. While the Vatican emphasizes themes of unity and reconciliation, the itinerary places the Pontiff in direct contact with some of the continent’s most controversial leaders and complex social realities.
A rapid recovery from lung surgery
Just weeks ago, the 71-year-old leader of the Catholic Church underwent a significant operation in mid-October to remove a malignant tumor from his right lung. According to reports from religion.ORF.at, doctors cleared him for travel after only three and a half weeks of recovery, noting that the tumor was localized and had not metastasized.
During the 13-hour flight from Rome’s Fiumicino Airport to Montevideo—a journey spanning 11,100 kilometers aboard an Airbus A330-900—the Pope told passengers he had no doubts the trip would proceed. His medical team has since stated that he is currently cancer-free.
Testing influence in a secular Uruguay
Uruguay presents a unique challenge for the Vatican. Unlike its neighbors, the country is one of the most secularized nations in Latin America. While Vatican News reports that roughly 33 percent of Uruguayans identify as Catholic, only nine percent consider themselves practicing members.
Despite this, public interest remains high. Statistics from the Cifra Institute suggest that nearly 60 percent of the population views the papal visit as significant. In Montevideo, the Pope is scheduled to meet with Yamandu Orsi and address representatives from civil society. On Saturday, the itinerary moves to Paysandú for a Mass, followed by a return to the capital. The sanctuary of the “Virgen de los Treinta y Tres,” the nation’s patron saint, is also among the stops. Local media, including El Observador, have highlighted the arrival of a custom-built “Papamobile” based on a Fiat Titano to facilitate these public appearances.
Political friction in the Argentine leg
The upcoming stop in Argentina, scheduled from November 8 to November 11, is expected to be a political and symbolic highlight of the tour. The Pope will visit Buenos Aires, Cordoba, and Lujan, but the most scrutinized meeting involves Javier Milei. The two men represent fundamentally different worldviews.
DiePresse.com reports that the Pope intends to visit a home for people with disabilities and a prison—two sites that highlight the social friction under Milei’s administration. The President’s radical austerity measures have significantly impacted disability services, and he previously vetoed a law declaring a state of emergency for the sector.
The Pope's visit to the Devoto prison sends a political message about Milei's focus on toughness and inner security. This follows Milei's government decision to lower the age of criminal responsibility. The Pope's choice of name, invoking Leo XIII, highlights the ideological divide. Leo XIII was the architect of modern Catholic social teaching, which often opposes the "economy of exclusion" the Pontiff warns against.
| Country | Key Political Leader | Primary Social/Political Context | Scheduled Dates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina | Javier Milei | Economic austerity; tension over social welfare and crime policy. | Nov 8 – Nov 11 |
| Peru | Keiko Fujimori | The Pope’s former mission territory; focus on social unity. | Nov 11 – Nov 16 |
A return to Peruvian roots
The final stage of the journey takes Leo XIV back to Peru, a country where he spent over two decades serving as a missionary for the Augustinians and later as a bishop. Having lived there for much of his professional life, the Pope holds Peruvian citizenship.
This leg of the trip is designed to address deep-seated societal divisions. According to Vatican sources, the mission in Peru focuses on promoting “unity, reconciliation, and social harmony” in an environment marked by political polarization. The schedule includes a physically demanding excursion into the Peruvian Andes at an altitude of approximately 3,700 meters, testing the limits of the Pope’s recent medical recovery.
The Pope is expected to return to Rome on the morning of November 17, concluding a mission that serves as much as a diplomatic probe into the future of Latin American populism as it does a pastoral visit.
