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Pope Leo XIV Begins South American Tour Post-Surgery
· Confirmed
In Short: Pope Leo XIV has arrived in Uruguay to begin a 12-day tour of South America, three weeks after undergoing lung cancer surgery, according to Al Jazeera and NPR.
Pope Leo XIV has arrived in Uruguay to begin an 12-day tour of South America, three weeks after undergoing lung cancer surgery, according to Al Jazeera and NPR. The tour, which includes stops in Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru, was initially in doubt due to the pope's health.
Al Jazeera reported that Pope Leo XIV reminded the state of its duty to care for its people, young and old, in a veiled reference to Uruguay’s abortion policy and the 2025 legalisation of assisted dying, both of which contradict Catholic teaching. NPR noted that the pope’s doctors are confident in his recovery and that he will have medical care on board throughout the trip.
Pope Leo XIV addressed the high suicide rate in Uruguay, the highest in Latin America, during his first Mass in South America, according to Al Jazeera. He also reflected on his own struggles with lung cancer and the challenges faced by those who lack timely medical diagnosis and treatment.
Cruxnow reported that Pope Leo XIV urged an estimated 40,000 people in Uruguay to build bridges of fraternity and faith, using his first Mass to raise the profile of the Catholic Church in its most secular country. The Los Angeles Times noted that the pope arrived in Uruguay on Friday to begin a three-nation South American tour, less than a month after his lung surgery.
Matteo Bruni, director of the Holy See Press Office, told reporters that Pope Leo XIV is enthusiastic about the journey and that the program remains intact, as reported by ABC7 Los Angeles and thecanadianpressnews.ca. The pope acknowledged that some people had doubted whether he could make the gruelling trip, but he felt “fairly good” and was convinced that the trip had to go forward.
Pope Leo XIV’s first US-born papacy is marked by his return to Latin America, where he spent two decades as a missionary priest. He told reporters on the plane that he felt “fairly good” and had no doubt that the trip had to go forward, as reported by Newscord and Vaticannews.
The pope’s visit to Uruguay, the least Catholic and most secular country in Latin America, is significant. Christmas in Uruguay is officially “Family Day” and Holy Week is “Tourism Week,” according to Cruxnow. The Vatican press office said the pope’s recovery continues to progress in line with favorable assessments from his medical team.
The pope’s visit to Uruguay was met with enthusiasm, with crowds of up to 30,000 people lining the streets to catch a glimpse of him, according to Michiganpublic. He also paid a courtesy visit to Uruguay’s President Yamandú Orsi at his residence at the Edificio José Artigas.
Despite the high suicide rate and secularism in Uruguay, Pope Leo XIV’s visit has raised the profile of the Catholic Church and highlighted the importance of universal healthcare and timely medical diagnosis.
What this adds
Pope Leo XIV has commenced an 12-day tour of South America, three weeks after undergoing lung cancer surgery. The current report adds details about the pope's specific activities and the scale of his visit, including his first Mass in South America and his call for universal healthcare.
Background
Pope Leo XIV concluded his South American tour, urging bishops to support families facing challenges, and visited a care home for disabled people in Argentina.
Pope Leo XIV has commenced an 12-day tour of South America, three weeks after undergoing lung cancer surgery.
What's confirmed
- Pope Leo XIV has arrived in Uruguay as he begins a 12-day tour of South America, three weeks after undergoing lung cancer surgery that had put the entire trip into question.
- The pope also reminded that the state should care for its people, young and old – a veiled reference to Uruguay’s abortion policy, which was decriminalised in 2012, and the 2025 legalisation of assisted dying, both of which run counter to Catholic teaching.
- Pope Leo XIV arrived in Uruguay, where he will celebrate a Mass on Saturday, as he began a 12-day tour of South America in "fairly good shape."
- Speaking in a half-empty Plaza Independencia, after being welcomed by left-wing President Yamandu Orsi, the pope lamented Uruguay's high suicide rates -- among the highest in the world -- and appealed for healthcare to be "accessible to everyone."
- ROME -- Three weeks after lung cancer surgery, Pope Leo XIV opened a three-nation tour of Latin America on Friday by declaring he felt better than he looked and crediting God, good doctors and his healthy lifestyle with his quick recovery.
- The 71-year-old pope arrived in Montevideo, Uruguay, Latin America’s most secular country, after a 13 1/2-hour flight from Rome during which he acknowledged “some people” had doubted whether he could make the gruelling, 12-day trip at all.
- Pope Leo XIV arrived in Uruguay on Friday to begin a three-country tour of South America, less than a month after undergoing lung surgery and eight years after a pope last visited the continent.
- Pope Leo XIV departs from Rome's Leonardo da Vinci International Airport in Fiumicino, near Rome, for Montevideo, Uruguay, at the start of his twelve-day apostolic journey to South America, Friday, Nov. 6, 2026.
What's still developing
- Leo considers the tour, one of the most grueling undertaken by a Catholic leader in decades, a “homecoming to places where he spent a long time and to which he feels closely connected,” Vatican spokesperson Matteo Bruni told journalists at a briefing Tuesday.
- Pope Francis — who died in April 2025 — was born in Buenos Aires and never once returned to his homeland during his entire pontificate, a conspicuous absence that defined part of his legacy.
- The gathering was the largest crowd of Leo's papacy to date and came just three weeks after the 69-year-old underwent surgery for lung cancer, as he pressed ahead with a demanding 12-day tour of Latin America.
- Photos of the Week: Diwali, Pope Leo in South America Photos of the Week: Diwali, Pope Leo in South America - Religion News Service Photos of the Week: Diwali, Pope Leo in South America By Kit Doyle · November 10, 2026 --> (RNS) — Each week RNS presents a gallery of photos of religious expression around the world.
- Pope Leo XIV arrives to preside over a Mass at Monumento de los EspaÒoles in Buenos Aires, on the fourth day of his twelve-day apostolic journey to South America, Monday, Nov.
- A vendor sells scarves featuring Pope Leo XIV's image ahead of his arrival in Montevideo, Uruguay, Friday, Nov.