Pope Leo Begins 12-Day South America Tour One Month After Lung Surgery

Pope Leo XIV departed Rome's Fiumicino airport on Friday morning for a 12-day apostolic journey through Uruguay, Argentina and Peru. The trip is the first for the U.S.-born pope to the Americas since his election in May 2025 and marks a return to the region where he lived for two decades as a missionary.

Leo, who is 71, underwent lung cancer surgery on October 13. Vatican officials said this week that he has completely recovered and that no special medical precautions are being taken for the itinerary. The schedule includes roughly 14 flights, including two by helicopter, 36 speeches and about 50 events across 10 cities.

The pope is expected to travel some 31,000 km (19,300 miles). One stop in Cusco, Peru, sits more than 11,000 feet above sea level, where oxygen levels are about 35 percent lower than at sea level. The Vatican described the tour as one of the most demanding overseas trips by a pontiff in decades.

Leo arrives in Montevideo, Uruguay, on Friday afternoon. He will spend three days in the country, visiting Montevideo, Paysandú and Florida. This is the first papal visit to Uruguay since John Paul II traveled there in 1988. The motto for the Uruguay portion is drawn from the angel's announcement to the shepherds: "I bring you news of great joy."

From Uruguay the pope moves to Argentina on November 8. He will stay until November 11, with stops in Buenos Aires, Claypole, Luján and Córdoba. Argentina is the home country of the late Pope Francis. The last papal visit to Argentina was by John Paul II in 1987. Leo is scheduled to meet Argentine President Javier Milei, who has aligned himself with U.S. President Donald Trump and has previously criticized the pope's comments on the Iran war.

The longest segment is in Peru, from November 11 to 17. Leo will visit Lima, Chiclayo, Cuzco and Pucallpa. He served as a missionary and later as bishop in Peru for roughly 20 years. Large crowds are expected. Organizers estimate around 1.2 million people may attend the final Mass at Las Palmas Airbase in Lima, and more than a million are projected for the Mass in Buenos Aires.

Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said the pope's addresses will cover environmental destruction, arms trafficking and regional political instability. The trip also coincides with a 60-day state of emergency that Peru declared in 1,380 districts over risks of heavy rainfall linked to El Niño. Some of the affected areas include planned stops on the itinerary.

Leo has said he looks forward to returning to the continent where he experienced many moments of his life. The schedule includes meetings with political leaders, religious representatives and civil society groups, as well as open-air Masses and visits to a prison and a shrine.

The intensity of the itinerary tested internal Vatican discussions about whether to delay or lighten the program after the surgery. Officials ultimately proceeded with the full plan. Leo is traveling without reported special medical support beyond standard papal arrangements.

In Peru the pope will meet the president and address authorities, civil society and the diplomatic corps at the Gran Teatro Nacional in Lima. Later stops include Chiclayo, where he once served, and high-altitude Cuzco. The final days include a large Mass before departure on November 17.

The journey is Leo's seventh apostolic trip outside Italy. It is his first to Latin America as pope. Organizers in each country have prepared for large public events. Security and logistics teams have coordinated across three nations for the multi-city route.

Leo's prior service in Peru gives the trip a personal dimension that is absent from many papal journeys. He lived and worked there long enough to develop local ties. The Vatican has noted that he is likely to draw particularly large crowds in places he knows well.

The schedule leaves little recovery time between events. From early morning departures to evening Masses, the days are tightly packed. The high-altitude stop in Cuzco adds a physical demand that the Vatican has not publicly adjusted for, despite the recent surgery.

Regional leaders have prepared formal welcomes. In Uruguay the pope will receive the keys to Montevideo and meet religious representatives at the Metropolitan Cathedral. In Argentina the program includes a Mass at the Basilica of Our Lady of Luján and a visit to a federal correctional complex. In Peru the itinerary covers both coastal and Andean cities.

The trip occurs against a backdrop of political shifts in the region. Milei's government in Argentina has pursued market-oriented policies and close ties with the United States. In Peru the emergency declaration reflects ongoing climate pressures that have historically produced flooding and landslides along the coast and in the Andes. Leo's speeches are expected to reference these local conditions without direct political endorsement.

Vatican officials have not released a detailed medical assessment beyond the statement that recovery is complete. The decision to proceed with the full itinerary indicates confidence in the pope's ability to manage the physical demands. The tour will conclude with a return to Rome on November 17.