Pope Leo Begins 12-Day South American Tour

Pope Leo XIV began a 12-day tour of Uruguay, Argentina and Peru on Nov. 6, his longest and farthest foreign trip as pope, scheduled to run through Nov. 17. He is traveling three weeks after surgery removed a cancerous lung growth; he said he felt well enough to make the trip, and the Vatican kept his itinerary unchanged. In Uruguay, Latin America’s most secular country, an estimated 40,000 people gathered in rainy Paysandú for his first South American Mass, and Leo called for universal access to health care. He is also expected to meet Uruguay’s President Yamandú Orsi before continuing to Argentina, Pope Francis’ homeland, and Peru, where Leo spent years as a missionary and bishop. The visit aims to strengthen faith and renew hope amid inequality, violence and declining Catholicism; the three countries had nearly 77 million baptized Catholics in 2024, while trends in baptisms and priest numbers varied and Catholic schools and charities remained significant, particularly in Argentina.