Vatican (AFP) - Pope Leo XIV headed Friday to South America on a long tour that includes influential stops on a continent that helped shape his priestly career.

Published on: 06/11/2026 - 10:47

The Pope's plane took off on Friday morning shortly after seven o'clock (6:00 GMT) from Fiumicino Airport in Rome, according to an Agence France-Presse correspondent on the plane, and will land at approximately 20:30 local time in Montevideo in Uruguay, according to the Vatican.

During the 12-day tour, the head of the Catholic Church, which has 1.4 billion followers around the world, will visit Uruguay, Argentina and Peru, and his visit program will be full of events and meetings with political leaders, prisoners, the poor and old friends of his.

Leo

The 71-year-old Pope expressed his happiness on Wednesday to return to these countries that are “very dear” to his heart, expressing his hope that his tour will contribute to “consolidating faith, renewing hope, and kindling the flame of love” in those countries where the Catholic Church is recording a decline compared to the Evangelical churches, and which face common challenges of worsening social disparities, violence, and severe demographic decline.

Although he underwent surgery a little more than three weeks ago to remove a cancerous tumor, doctors gave the Pope the green light to travel. The Vatican confirmed that there is no need for any special medical measures other than the usual care provided during papal trips.

Secular Uruguay

The Pope begins his journey in Uruguay, the most secular country in Latin America, and one of the smallest and most prosperous countries, where strict security measures were taken to receive him, with the deployment of about five thousand policemen and one thousand soldiers.

The Pope will cross along the sea promenade in the capital, Montevideo, in a “Papamobile” car designed for this occasion, before meeting leftist President Yamando Orsi and receiving the keys to the city.

Janet Rodriguez, a 47-year-old administrative employee, said, “I have relatives who intend to go to the coastal strip to see the Pope cross,” but she indicated that she would not do that, explaining, “I do not belong to any religion, but it is good for a person of this importance to come” to the country.

Cardinal Daniel Sturla, Archbishop of Montevideo, told AFP that the Pope's visit arouses "very broad interest that goes beyond the borders of the Catholic Church." Tickets were quickly sold out to attend the two Masses that Leo XIV will celebrate in the Paysandu and Florida areas.

Liberal Uruguay disagrees with the Catholic Church over the issues of same-sex marriage, abortion and euthanasia, which was legalized last year, and the Pope is expected to make an appeal to protect life and traditional family values.

Uruguay also has the highest suicide rate in Latin America, and the Pope is likely to address the issue of mental health, especially during a visit to the Casabay neighborhood, which suffers from extreme poverty and great violence in the capital.

"Symbolism and impact"

The Pope will move on Sunday to Argentina, the homeland of his predecessor, Pope Francis, who disappointed many of his compatriots by not returning to visit his country during his pontificate.

Christopher White of Georgetown University in Washington and author of a book about Pope Leo, told AFP that this visit represents a double return to the roots, explaining that "the first Latin American pope in history did not return to his homeland. Leon, a Peruvian citizen, now carries this legacy."

He added that the tour in South America reaches its climax in Peru, where the Pope's arrival on Wednesday will be a "moment charged with symbolism and emotion" that everyone is anticipating amid feverish preparations.

The Pope will celebrate a mass in a desert plain near the Pacific Ocean, before visiting the city of Cusco, the former capital of the Inca Empire, and the city of Pucallpa, located in the Amazon rainforest.

In Lima, he will meet right-wing Peruvian President Keiko Fujimori, the daughter of the late former leader Alberto Fujimori, who was imprisoned on charges of corruption and crimes against humanity, and whose approach is based on her father's legacy.

The Pope is likely to address the problems afflicting Peru, from the crime wave fueled by hired killings and rampant extortion, to the cocaine trade, which is one of the largest in the world, and its impact on indigenous peoples.

© 2026 AFP

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