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Pope Leo XIV to Visit South America After Cancer Surgery
· Confirmed
In Short: Pope Leo XIV will travel to Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru from Nov. 6 to 17, 2026, after doctors cleared him for travel following lung cancer surgery.
Pope Leo XIV will embark on a journey to Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru from November 6 to 17, 2026, following a successful lung cancer surgery and subsequent medical clearance.
The Holy Father’s trip, which includes visits to iconic places in each country, will begin in Montevideo, Uruguay, and conclude in Peru.
Leo XIV, who underwent surgery to remove a localized nodule on his lung, expressed his joy at returning to the continent where he lived for almost two decades as a missionary.
The Vatican has confirmed that the pope will meet privately with victims of clergy sexual abuse during his visit, signaling a focus on survivor outreach.
Pope Leo XIV will celebrate Mass in various locations, including the Cathedral Basilica of Florida in Uruguay and the Pampas of Pimentel in Peru.
The pope will also meet with Presidents Yamandú Orsi of Uruguay and Javier Milei of Argentina, as well as engage with young people, workers, and prisoners.
Leo XIV’s visit to Argentina will be the first papal visit to the country since 1987, and he will visit the Pequeño Cottolengo Don Orione in Claypole.
The Vatican has published a detailed schedule for the apostolic journey, which includes a courtesy visit to the president of Uruguay at his residence.
The pope’s flight from Rome to Montevideo is expected to last close to 13 hours, and he will be accompanied by medical professionals throughout the trip.
Pope Leo XIV expressed gratitude for the prayers and affection he has received from around the world during his recovery.
The Vatican stated that the pope is following medical recommendations with great care and determination to continue serving the Church.
Background
Pope Leo XIV will embark on a journey to Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru from November 6 to 17, 2026, following a medical clearance after undergoing lung cancer surgery.
Pope Leo XIV will visit five parishes in Rome during Lent, continuing a tradition of papal engagement with local communities.
What's confirmed
- His stop in Argentina, from November 8 to 11, will be the first papal visit to the country since John Paul II’s in April 1987.
- “It fills me with joy to return to the continent where I have lived so many moments of my life,” wrote the pontiff, who was born in Chicago and spent almost two decades as a missionary in Peru.
- The Vatican has confirmed that Pope Leo XIV will meet privately with victims of clergy sexual abuse during his 6-17 November visit to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru, signaling a focus on survivor outreach during the trip.
- The pope’s visit aims to strengthen ties with local churches, encourage the faithful, and promote a message of faith, hope, and peace in the region.
- From there, he will travel to Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay.
- "The Holy See Press Office confirms that the Apostolic Journey of Pope Leo XIV to Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru, scheduled for 6–17 November 2026, will proceed according to the programme previously published," said the Vatican in a note.
- Argentina (OSV News) — Bishops’ conferences across Latin America urged prayers for the health of Pope Leo XIV, whose visit to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru remains uncertain after he underwent surgery to remove the lower lobe of his right lung.
- The Vatican has published the schedule for Pope Leo XIV’s apostolic journey to Latin America, where he will visit Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru from Nov. 6–17.
- Pope Leo XIV is set to be the first pope to visit Uruguay since St.
- ROME — Pope Leo XIV will meet with survivors of clergy sexual abuse during his upcoming trip to Latin America, which will take the American pope to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru, the Vatican said Tuesday.
- “May this journey be an opportunity to open our hearts to one another, strengthen our communion as brothers and sisters, and renew our commitment to proclaiming the Gospel with joy,” the Holy Father wrote, nearly two weeks after undergoing lung surgery on Oct. 13.
- The Holy See Press Office has confirmed an apostolic trip to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru from November 6 to 17, after his latest medical examinations found no contraindications to travel.
What's still developing
- The pope said the removal surgery is planned in the “coming days."
- “During some check-ups, doctors discovered a localized nodule on my lung,” the 71-year-old Pope Leo told people who gathered in St Peter’s Square for the Angelus prayer on Sunday.
- Health problems clouded over previous popes, with Leo’s predecessor, Pope Francis, spending an extended period in hospital and facing multiple health difficulties in the final months of his life.
- Leo is preparing for a major visit to Latin America from Nov.
- Leo is relatively young for a pope, and generally seen to be in good health.
- Back in the capital, he will visit the parish of Our Lady of Guadalupe in the Casavalle neighbourhood, meet the education community at the Catholic University of Uruguay and lead a prayer vigil at 7 p.m.
- Pope Francis, in a message in 2013 for the priest’s beatification — a ceremony scheduled before the Argentine pope was elected — said Father Brochero “did not stay in the sacristy combing the sheep,” but went out in search of the lost.
- Speaking ahead of the journey that is scheduled to unfold from 11 to 16 November, taking him from Uruguay to Argentina, to Peru, Father Walter Corsini, Vicar General of the Missionary Servants of the Poor, shares his testimony with Vatican News.
- According to the Holy See Press Office, the Pope wants not only to stand alongside survivors but also to help develop accessible paths toward healing and ensure that the Church becomes a safe and spiritually healthy environment in which the Gospel can be lived and proclaimed.
- “May she shelter him beneath her mantle, strengthen him during this time of trial, and grant him serenity and solace.” Pope Leo is still scheduled to arrive in Uruguay on Nov.
- “As previously reported, the surgical procedure was successful and without complications. Subsequent medical examinations confirmed that the condition was localized and that no further oncological treatment is necessary,” the Vatican stated.
- Francis’ native Argentina, for its part, has had a wretched reckoning with abuse and victims there have been demanding action from the Vatican, including to address cases in which Francis was personally involved.