The key facts

  • Leo XIV arrived in Montevideo on November 6, beginning his first visit to Latin America as pontiff
  • The three-day program in Uruguay is the first stage of a 12-day itinerary through Argentina and Peru, with a return to Rome on November 17
  • The trip comes just weeks after lung surgery and will be the pontiff's sixth foreign tour

The start of the South American itinerary

Pope Leo XIV arrived in Uruguay on Friday — his first visit to Latin America since being elected pontiff. According to the Turkish agency Anadolu, citing the Uruguayan newspaper La Diaria, the plane carrying the pontiff landed at Carrasco International Airport in Montevideo at 4:30 p.m. local time, having departed from Rome earlier that same day. The arrival time was reported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uruguay.

The first day's program and the full itinerary

At the airport, the Pope was greeted by officials, after which he headed to Independence Square, where an official welcome ceremony took place with President Yamandú Orsi and senior government figures. Leo XIV then met with representatives of the authorities, civil society and the diplomatic corps, held talks with Orsi at the José Artigas building, and visited the capital's metropolitan cathedral, where vespers with clergy and religious are scheduled. The three-day visit to Uruguay will last until Sunday and will be the first stage of a 12-day apostolic journey that will also include Argentina and Peru. As part of the Uruguayan program, the pontiff will celebrate Mass in Paysandú, visit the Casavalle district on the outskirts of Montevideo, and take part in a prayer vigil at the Centenario Stadium, and on Sunday he will celebrate Mass in Florida before departing for Buenos Aires. Visits to the Peruvian cities of Lima, Chiclayo, Cusco and Puerto Maldonado are then planned, with a return to Rome on November 17.

What makes the visit notable

The trip is notable for several reasons at once. Uruguay has not hosted a pope since 1988, when John Paul II visited the country — meaning the gap spans almost four decades. Moreover, Uruguay is considered one of the most secular countries in Latin America, with a long-standing separation of church and state, which makes the visit of the head of the Catholic Church here particularly significant. In addition, this is already Leo XIV's sixth foreign trip since his election, and it begins just a few weeks after the successful lung surgery the pontiff underwent last month.