Pope Leo XIV arrives in Uruguay starting 12-day Latin America tour

What the report says

Pope Leo XIV has arrived in Uruguay, where he is starting a 12-day tour of South America that will also take him to Argentina and Peru. Al Jazeera reported that the 71-year-old pontiff landed in Montevideo on Friday after a long flight from Rome, weeks after surgery to remove a cancerous tumour had raised questions about whether the journey would go ahead.

According to the report, the Uruguay visit is the first papal trip to the country since 1988. His itinerary there is expected to include visits to a violence-hit neighbourhood, a mass in Paysandú and another in Florida, drawing interest well beyond the Catholic community in a country often described as the region’s least religious and most secular. Local church officials said attendance for some events quickly filled up.

The broader trip is being framed as a significant regional visit and, for Leo, something of a return to places tied to his past. Al Jazeera said Peru is the final stop, where he previously spent many years as a missionary and will revisit cities and religious sites connected to that work. The Vatican has said he was cleared to travel and no unusual medical steps were needed beyond routine papal care.