Pope Leo arrives in Uruguay starting 12-day Latin America tour

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 71-year-old head of the Roman Catholic Church touched down in Montevideo on Friday after a 13-hour flight from Rome, telling reporters he feels “fairly good”.

“I know some people were doubtful about this trip taking place,” Leo told reporters on board the papal plane. “I had no doubt and was convinced that this trip had to go forward.

And I am very happy to say praise the Lord and thanks to wonderful medical assistance, I’m here today, I think in fairly good shape.” On his trip, the pope is scheduled to visit Uruguay, Argentina and Peru in one of the most intense papal foreign trips in decades. The regional trip is somewhat of a homecoming journey for Leo, as he will finish in Peru in three weeks, where he served for almost two decades as a missionary, forming a deep attachment to the continent.