Pope Leo begins South America tour

Pope Leo XIV arrived in Montevideo, Uruguay, on Thursday to begin a 12-day journey across South America.

This is the longest and most geographically wide-ranging trip of his papacy. It is also his first major overseas visit since undergoing lung cancer surgery last month.

The itinerary includes 12 flights and two helicopter rides. The pope plans to deliver 36 speeches and visit 10 cities during the tour.

One destination is Cusco, Peru, which sits more than 11,000 feet above sea level. Travelers at that altitude may require supplemental oxygen due to the thin air.

Vatican officials stated that Leo has completed his two-week recovery period and requires no further treatment for his cancer.

Maria Montserrat Alvar, the Vatican's communications chief, said the pope was eager to start the trip. She noted that his doctors are confident and that medical care will be available on board if needed.

Uruguay serves as the first stop, a choice that surprised some observers given the nation's secular traditions. The country has a population of roughly 3.5 million people.

In Montevideo, few welcome banners are visible in the streets. However, large posters of the pope adorn city churches, including the Blessed Sacrament Church in the Pocitos neighborhood.

Ana Maria Saprissa, a 70-year-old retiree, said she is grateful for the visit. She noted that the country has many needs and that the pope remembered the small nation.

Uruguay has separated religion from government for over a century. Christmas is officially called Family Day, and Easter week is known as Tourism Week.

Mariana Pomiés, director of the polling firm CIFRA, said only about a third of Uruguayans identify as Catholics. She argued that secularism in the country is often misinterpreted as anti-religion rather than state neutrality.

In the working-class Casavalle neighborhood, volunteers cleaned streets and erected a stage outside the Our Lady of Guadalupe Church. The pope is scheduled to visit this site on Saturday. Father Pablo Coimbra, the community's pastoral leader, said the visit brings attention to people who often live on the margins of society. He stated that for the first time, these residents are in the center of attention. A proposed address to the parliament was scrapped after public and political pushback. President Yamandú Orsi will oversee a welcome ceremony outside Montevideo's main cathedral. Sunday Mass will be held in Florida, a town about an hour from the capital. The date coincides with the commemoration of the Virgin of the Thirty-five, a symbol of Uruguay's 1825 independence from Brazil. By Sunday, Leo will travel to Argentina to fulfill a wish of his predecessor, Pope Francis. Francis had hoped to return to his homeland but never made the trip before his death. The visit to Argentina presents an early test of how Leo will handle tensions with right-wing populist leaders. President Javier Milei's austerity measures have pushed millions into poverty, a situation that contrasts with Leo's long-standing support for the poor. Milei has also embraced artificial intelligence regulation, while Leo's inaugural encyclical called for ethical safeguards in that sector. The final leg of the trip returns Leo to Peru, where he served as a missionary and bishop for two decades. He will meet with President Keiko Fujimori. As a priest, Leo was critical of military violence during the Fujimori dictatorship and supported the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Juan Martin Guerreiro, a local in Uruguay, said he is willing to give the new pope a chance because he is South American, even though he was born in Chicago. Guerreiro noted that he does not feel Leo is as influential as Pope Francis.