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Pope Leo XIV has begun a 12-day tour of Latin America, three weeks after surgery for lung cancer. The trip includes a much-anticipated return to Peru, where he served as a priest for many years, according to BBC World.
The Vatican says it has taken no extraordinary measures concerning the Pope’s health, describing him as a “71-year-old who has undergone an operation” rather than someone with a “permanent medical condition”.
Leo revealed last month that doctors had found a tumour during a routine scan. It was removed along with the lower lobe of his right lung, and his medical team later confirmed that the cancer had not spread.
At a briefing in Rome, a spokeswoman said the Pope had “fantastic stamina” and was “extremely enthusiastic” about the schedule, which he had “personally confirmed... with no changes”.
Tour includes Uruguay and Argentina
The trip begins in Uruguay, where the number of Catholics has fallen steeply in recent years. The country is receiving its first papal visit in four decades.
Leo will then travel to Argentina, the homeland of his predecessor, Pope Francis. Father Fernando Laguna, rector of Argentina’s national church in Rome, said the visit was also a tribute to Francis, who did not travel to Argentina as pope.
“When this visit by Pope Leo was announced, it filled all of our hearts with joy,” Laguna told BBC World. He said he had expected Leo to travel despite his illness and did not think the Pope had considered cancelling the trip.
The church in Rome is installing a large screen so parishioners can follow key moments of the visit. Posters welcoming the Pope to Argentina are already displayed inside the building, including one that reads: “We’re waiting for you!”
The Argentina leg includes meetings with heads of state and religious events, and could be the most politically sensitive part of the tour. President Javier Milei previously called Pope Francis “evil on earth” and a “communist” over his promotion of social justice to help the poor. Argentina’s bishops, in turn, have criticised Milei’s austerity measures and sweeping cuts to social spending.
Milei has welcomed Pope Leo, writing on “X” that Argentina awaits him “with immense joy”. Millions are expected to turn out to greet the pontiff.
Peru visit marks return to Pope’s roots
The final stop is Peru, which the Vatican has described as a return to Leo’s roots. “He knows these streets,” a spokeswoman said.
Born in the United States as Robert Prevost, Leo spent almost 20 years in Peru, on and off, and holds Peruvian citizenship. His time there is seen as having been fundamental in shaping his papacy.
His itinerary includes a return to the diocese of Chiclayo, where he was ordained bishop in 2014 and remained until Francis moved him to the Vatican almost a decade later. Leo will also travel to Cusco, the former capital of the Inca Empire, to celebrate Mass at an altitude of more than 3,000 metres, before heading to Pucallpa in the Amazon.
In all three countries, the Vatican says, the Pope will meet survivors of clerical sexual abuse. The issue overshadowed a 2018 visit to Chile and Peru by his predecessor.
Massimo Faggioli, a professor at Villanova University, said the trip would reconnect the papacy with Latin America after Francis, whose visits to the region were not always seamless. He said Leo had a strong sense of the unity of the Americas as one continent and suggested the Pope could address the difficulties facing democracies there.
Faggioli also raised the question of whether Leo would visit the United States while Donald Trump remains president, saying he was sure the possibility was being considered.
