In short
- Pope Leo XIV is making a 12-day tour of Uruguay, Argentina and Peru, beginning three weeks after surgery for lung cancer.
- Doctors removed a tumour and the lower lobe of the Pope’s right lung, and his medical team later confirmed the cancer had not spread.
- Uruguay is receiving its first papal visit in four decades, and the Vatican cites a steep fall in the number of Catholics there in recent years.
- Pope Leo XIV, born Robert Prevost in the United States, spent almost 20 years in Peru and holds Peruvian citizenship.
- The Vatican says the Pope will meet survivors of clerical sexual abuse in all three countries.
Pope Leo XIV is beginning a 12-day tour of Uruguay, Argentina and Peru, three weeks after lung cancer surgery at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, where doctors removed a tumour and the lower lobe of his right lung. The Vatican says the 71-year-old has no permanent medical condition and that he confirmed the schedule himself without changes.
How is the Pope’s health before the tour?
Pope Leo XIV disclosed last month that doctors had found a tumour during a routine scan. The growth was removed along with the lower lobe of his right lung, and his medical team later confirmed the cancer had not spread. At a briefing in Rome, a Vatican spokeswoman said no extraordinary measures were being taken, describing him as “a 71-year-old who has undergone an operation” rather than someone with a “permanent medical condition”. She said the Pope had “fantastic stamina” and had confirmed the schedule “with no changes”.
Which countries is Pope Leo XIV visiting?
The 12-day tour covers Uruguay, Argentina and Peru and incorporates multiple long-haul and local flights, crossing thousands of miles from the Amazon to the Andes. Uruguay comes first: the number of Catholics there has fallen steeply in recent years and the country is receiving its first papal visit in four decades. The Pope then flies to Argentina, the homeland of his predecessor, Pope Francis, before finishing in Peru.
Why is the Argentina leg politically sensitive?
Father Fernando Laguna, rector of Santa Maria Addolorata, Argentina’s national church in Rome, is installing a large screen so parishioners can follow the key moments of the trip. “This visit is also a homage to Francis, who didn’t make it to Argentina [as pope],” he told the BBC. The Argentina leg may be the most politically delicate: President Javier Milei once called Pope Francis “evil on earth” and a “communist” for promoting a doctrine of social justice, and Argentina’s bishops have criticised Milei’s austerity measures and cuts to social spending. Milei has since written on X that Argentina awaits the Pope “with immense joy”. Millions are expected to turn out to greet him.
Why is Peru the centrepiece of the trip?
The Vatican describes the Peru leg as a return to his roots; a spokeswoman said of the Pope, “He knows these streets.” Born in the United States, the then Robert Prevost spent almost 20 years in Peru, on and off, and holds Peruvian citizenship. He will return to the diocese of Chiclayo, where he was ordained bishop in 2014 and remained until Francis moved him to the Vatican almost a decade later, and will say Mass in Cusco, the former capital of the Inca Empire, more than 3,000m above sea level before heading to Pucallpa in the Amazon.
Will the Pope meet survivors of clerical sexual abuse?
Yes. The Vatican says Pope Leo will meet survivors of clerical sexual abuse in all three countries, an issue that clouded a 2018 visit to Chile and Peru by Pope Francis.
What message does the Vatican want the trip to send?
Professor Massimo Faggioli of Villanova University told the BBC the message was “that was a short episode and now we’re back on track”, pointing to the Pope’s return to speeches and audiences, and noting that he was walking and eating normally after surgery. Faggioli said the visit shows how the papacy reconnects with Latin America after Francis, whose trips to the region “were not always seamless”. “Democracies are in trouble there, so there are so many things he can address,” he said, adding that a US trip remains an open question: “The big question then is the United States… So will he travel when [President Donald] Trump is still in office? I’m sure they’re thinking about this.”
Frequently asked questions
Why is Pope Leo XIV travelling so soon after surgery?
The Vatican says no extraordinary measures are being taken for his health and that the Pope, 71, is not living with a permanent medical condition. A spokeswoman said he had confirmed the 12-day schedule himself with no changes.
Which countries is Pope Leo XIV visiting on this trip?
The tour covers Uruguay, Argentina and Peru over 12 days. Uruguay is the first stop, followed by Argentina, the homeland of Pope Francis, with Peru closing the trip.
Why is the Peru stop significant for Pope Leo XIV?
The Pope, born Robert Prevost in the United States, spent almost 20 years in Peru on and off and holds Peruvian citizenship. The Vatican calls the visit a return to his roots, and his schedule includes Chiclayo, Cusco and Pucallpa.
Will Pope Leo XIV meet survivors of clerical sexual abuse?
Yes. The Vatican says he will meet survivors in all three countries, an issue that clouded Pope Francis’s 2018 visit to Chile and Peru.
With reporting from BBC News.
Stock image, not from the events described. City Skyline — Joe deSousa / Wikimedia Commons (CC0 1.0)
