Pope Leo XIV Begins Three-Nation Latin America Tour After Cancer Surgery

Pope Leo XIV is beginning a three-nation tour of Latin America starting in Uruguay on November 6, 2026, after recovering from lung cancer surgery that had put the entire trip into question. The 71-year-old pope is undertaking the longest and farthest journey of his pontificate, which will take him through Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru. His first stop is Montevideo, where he will meet President Yamandú Orsi, deliver a welcome address to government officials and diplomats, and conclude the day with a vespers service at the city's cathedral.

The trip follows his October 13 surgery and marks a significant moment in his recovery. Vatican communications chief Maria Montserrat Alvar noted that Leo has passed the 14-day convalescence period required by doctors and is eager to get on the road. She added that while his doctors are confident, his prognosis remains challenging, but he is acting with the strength expected of a recovering patient.

Uruguay, the region's least Catholic and most secular country, is home to around 40% of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics. The country was the first in the world to legalize marijuana for recreational use, the second in Latin America to decriminalize abortion, and the third in the Americas to legalize same-sex marriage. It was also the first country in the region to approve assisted dying legislation, reflecting its entrenched church-state separation that prohibits any mention of God in oaths of office.

Leo is expected to address the topic of human dignity and the church's historical opposition to abortion and euthanasia. Tickets to his prayer vigil at Montevideo's Centenario Stadium were reportedly snapped up quickly after two days. Vatican officials and Uruguayan church leaders have expressed enthusiasm for the visit, with one former head of the Vatican's pontifical commission for Latin America noting that the pope's presence is shifting something in the country and breaking down a veil that has long obscured the Catholic tradition at the nation's foundation.

Source: NPR News