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Pope Leo XIV Begins Latin America Tour Post-Surgery
Confirmed
In Short: Pope Leo XIV has started a 12-day tour of Latin America, beginning in Uruguay, three weeks after undergoing lung cancer surgery.
Pope Leo XIV has told reporters travelling with him to Latin America that he is 'in pretty good health,' his first comments on his condition since having surgery for lung cancer.
The Pope's first stop is Uruguay, where he arrived on Friday, covering more than 20,000 miles on his sixth international tour.
In his first speech of the trip, Pope Leo XIV called for universal healthcare to be 'accessible to everyone,' addressing large crowds gathered along the seafront in Montevideo.
Pope Leo XIV expressed gratitude to his medical team, saying he was pleased to proceed with the international trip despite concerns about his recovery.
During his first public address in Uruguay, Pope Leo XIV called for healthcare services to be accessible to everyone, regardless of their financial circumstances.
The Pope was greeted at the airport by Argentine President Javier Milei and held private talks at the Casa Rosada presidential palace before addressing diplomats and civil leaders.
Pope Leo XIV condemned violent crime during a visit to Casavalle, a low-income Montevideo neighborhood, emphasizing that 'children should never have to go to bed hungry or be denied the chance of a decent education and a dignified future because of the insecurity that reigns in the streets.'
Background
Pope Leo XIV has started an 12-day tour of South America, beginning in Uruguay, three weeks after undergoing lung cancer surgery.
Pope Leo XIV started an 12-day tour of South America, beginning in Uruguay.
What's confirmed
- Pope Leo will cover more than 20,000 miles on his sixth international tour.
- "I must confess that, from the very first day, I never had any doubts; I was convinced that this journey had to go forward," the Pope told journalists on his plane to Uruguay.
What's still developing
- The Pope said his visit was about being near the people who were looking to the Church for a message of "hope".
- Speaking aboard the flight to Montevideo, the pope said he felt in “pretty good health,” attributing his recovery to “faith in God, good doctors, and a healthy lifestyle,” according to EWTN reporting.
- Photos: OSV News WEEKS after undergoing surgery for lung cancer, Pope Leo XIV has embarked on an 11-day tour across South America, using public speeches in Uruguay and Argentina to confront life issues, economic crises, street violence, political polarisation, and secularisation.
- The tour will also take him to Cusco, more than 11,000 feet above sea level.
- Mr Milei, a self-described “anarcho-capitalist” whose austerity policies have drawn criticism from local Catholic bishops, lauded Pope Leo’s predecessor, Pope Francis, as “an exceptional figure who inspired us all with his humanity,” according to EWTN reporting — a marked shift from past campaign insults.
- “We cannot turn a blind eye to the fact that there are children in Uruguay who do not go to school for fear of never returning home,” the pope said.